12 Oct 22

Nagaland

Nitish slams Centre for delay in solution

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): Bihar chief minis ter and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar on Tuesday hit out at the Cen tre over delay in resolving the Naga political issue despite having singed the “Framework Agreement” in 20015.

Nitish Kumar, who ar rived Dimapur Tuesday to grace the All Nagaland Bi hari Conference, which was organised to commemorate 120th birth anniversary of Jaya Prakash Narayan, at DDSC stadium here, expressed surprise that the Framework Agreement, which was signed in the presence of the Prime Min ister Modi in August 2015, has not been implemented so far. “Why have you not implemented it so far,” Nit ish questioned.

JD(U) supremo said that when the framework agreement was signed seven years ago “we all felt that it was a good move.” He said people of Nagaland were happy that all their problems/issues would be

ENPO convenes

heard, considered and fi nally solved by the Cen tre. “But I am extremely surprised to learn that the agreement has not been implemented,” Nitish said and demanded implemen tation of the Framework Agreement. Nitish also asked the Centre to take necessary steps to solve all problems of Nagaland in a peaceful manner.

Expressing hope that the Centre would bring about peaceful solution at the earliest, Nitish assured the people of Nagaland that he would continue to extend support to bring about permanent solution to the Naga issue.

On the occasion, Bihar

chief minister also high lighted the life and con tribution of Jaya Prakash Narayan popularly referred to as JP and his role in In dia’s freedom struggle and the famous JP Movement, which he started in Bihar in 1974.

Kumar said JP arrived Nagaland with a team in 1964. When he reached Na galand, Nitish said JP felt the pulse of the people and decided to visit each and every corner of the state and speak with the people. He stayed in Nagaland for three years from 1964 to 1967 during which he spread the message of love and peace amongst the people, JDU supremo said.

Nitish said it was be cause of his appeal, the ceasefire was signed in Na galand, which he said was a big achievement.

The Bihar chief min ister said the people in Na galand remembered JP for his contributions. He said now the younger generation also know about JP and role he played in the freedom struggle as well as in the development of Nagaland state by spreading the mes sage of love and peace.

Nitish said that when JP came to Nagaland as member of a Peace Mis sion, he established the Peace Centre, which is still functional.

Nitish also highlighted

the achievement of his gov ernment in Bihar in various fields. He invited the people of Nagaland to visit Bihar and see for themselves what his government has done in the past many years.

Further, he assured to extend support and contri bution towards the people of Nagaland whatever pos sible from his end.

The conference was organized by Matri Foun dation, Bihari Samaj and Kalyan Samaj and spon sored by JD(U) Nagaland to highlight the history of the great contribution made by JP or Lok Nayak.

Earlier, short speech es were delivered by Bi har Minister of Minority Welfare, Md. Zama Khan; former MP and JDU na tional general secretary Dhananjay Singh; MP Lok Sabha and JDU national general secretary Ramprit Mandal; MP Lok Sabha LS Sunil Kumar Pintu; MP Lok Sabha Kaushlendra Kumar; MP Rajya Sabha Aneel Hegde and Bihar minister rural development Shravan Kumar.

Trucker bodies appeal govt to revoke Oct 6 order

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) has convened a crucial central executive council (CEC) meeting at Tuensang headquarters on October 14, 2022.

ENPO through its me dia cell stated that the pro posed CEC meeting is being convened in the backdrop of holding a mass public rally on August 9, 2022 in all its 7 tribal headquarters, adoption of a resolution on August 26, 2022 not to participate in any central and state election process unless and until a statehood demand is fulfilled and fur ther intensification of the movement by organizing a mass public walkathon by ENSF on October 7, 2022.

ENPO said the sched uled meeting of CEC, which is the highest decisionmaking platform of the organization, would take up “resolute steps” to further strengthen the movement.

Besides CEC members of the seven tribes, ENPO has informed the talk team, advisors, ENLU including MP (RS), ENGOA, ENWO, ENSF, ENGBU, ENDBU, president & secretary of different political parties in six districts of Eastern Na galand, and representatives from sub-units to attend the meeting.

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): The co-ordination committee of Kohima Dis trict Truck Drivers and Owners Union (KDT DOU), Dimapur District Truck Owners Association (DDTOA), Dimapur Truck Drivers Union (DTDU) and Pfutsero Town Truck Owners and Drivers Union (PTTODU) has appealed to the state government to revoke its order prohibiting movement of vehicles be yond 3 Axle along National Highway with effect from midnight of October 13, 2022 till November 13, 2022.

In a representation to the state chief secretary, the DDTOA president Vishito Kinny, DTDU president Inakhe Sema, KDTDOU president Zieo Angami and PTTDOU president Phu zuhu Vero stated that the state government imposing restriction without giving any valid reason has super seded the Motor Vehicles Act, which they maintained has “clearly given the Axle load limit for Goods trans port vehicles all over India and not vice versa.”

The trucker bodies have, therefore, urged the

government revoke the order and allow vehicle of any axle carrying “underload” to pass the National High way without any restriction or prohibition if load limit was as per the government guidelines (as practised na tionwide).

The signatories said that the order would “great ly hamper” the business of the transporters, vehicle owners, drivers and the con sumers as a whole.

The committee has as sured to extend cooperation to the state government if the specifications of load

Ao Senden team inspects works on NH-70D

an ultimatum on the NHID CL to immediately make the stretch of NH- 70D by September 20, but extended the deadline to October 10.

limit was followed as per the Motor Vehicle Act. Express ing hope that the responsible authority would resolve the issue, the committee cau tioned that failure to address the issue could compel them “to seek justice elsewhere.”

State government re cently banned movement of any vehicles beyond threeaxle along NH stretch. How ever, exception has been made for heavy vehicles carrying materials meant for ongoing Broad Gauge New Line project to play from Dimapur up to Molvom/ Pherima.

UIDAI directive to update Aadhaar

Decisions on crucial matters on the anvil

Correspondent

KOHIMA, OCT 11 (NPN):

The state government is cur rently mulling over decisions to be made with regard to crucial issues that have been on its anvil and some of which have been kept pend ing for several years.

This was disclosed by Nagaland chief secretary Jane Alam IAS in an exclu sive interview to Nagaland Post at his office Tuesday.

Alam said the state government has taken a con scious decision to address issues such as the long pend ing Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), illegal and rampant taxation, encroachments on railway and airport lands at Dimapur, inordinate delay in completion of the 4-lane highway, the highly debated prohibition act (NLTP) and Nagaland’s first medical college– Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research to the level of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

RIIN: With regard to the contentious issue of RIIN Alam said it was meant to secure the interests of Nagas of Nagaland and the government was taking a holistic approach so that misapprehensions were ad dressed. With regard to Permanent Resident Certifi cate (PRC) and Temporary Resident Certificate (TRC), Alam said both were interconnected and the govern ment proposes to come up with fresh guidelines.

In this regard, direc tives have been sent to all DCs and that the new for mat will be circulated only after getting the feedback.

He disclosed that, the government is streamlining the issuance of Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate (IIC) and would come up with new format and new guide lines to prepare a database and make the entire process transparent.

need for active cooperation from the public to report on such crimes. In view of occurrences of the crimes, the chief secretary said road checks and highway patrol ling will be strengthened.

To a query, he admitted that poor quality CCTVs in stalled at strategic locations had not achieved the pur pose of crime detection but assured it would be taken up with the home department.

When it was pointed out that despite dismantling of all kinds of check gates except interstate managed by police, prices of com modities have not come down; the chief secretary assured to take up the matter with the various chamber of commerce and industries. He appealed to business firms and traders to pass benefits of price reduction to the customers if there was any reduction in transporta tion costs.

Airport/Railway: To the series of reports during the past decades in Naga land Post with regard to stagnation of development at the airport and railway at Dimapur, the chief sec retary reiterated that the Central government was fully committed towards the expansion and development of both airport and railway station.

The chief secretary also disclosed that data on encroachment on railway land has been exchanged between district administra tion of Dimapur and North east Frontier Railway(NFR) and that DC Dimapur had advised the NFR to invoke provisions of Public Premis es (Eviction of unauthorised Occupants) Act.

Alam said the problem remained deadlocked for decades owing to lack of coordination between the district administration and NFR in preparation of the data.

the encroachers and hand over the land for expansion and development of the airport.

He also said a joint survey for expansion and development of the airport will be carried out with dis trict administration, Assam Rifles, CRPF and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Meanwhile, Alam also informed that AAI officials from Guwahati had called on him Tuesday to discuss about the problem posed by water logging at Dimapur airport which has caused frequent disruption of flights. He said the meeting decided that the Water Re sources Department would work with AAI to solve the problem.

4-Lane delay: He said the inordinate delay in com pletion of 4-lane over NH 2 was with package 3 where the contractor appointed by National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHID CL) had abandoned the particular stretch and then took the matter to court. Alam disclosed that the state government had writ ten to NHIDCL while he personally met with the MD (NHIDCL) as December 2023 was the revised date for completion of the project.

The chief secretary said contractors were lay ing stone gravels on the road just to make it ply able although they were not supposed to do so. He said the state government had written to NHIDCL about the pitiable condition of Dimapur-Mao stretch of NH2 and hoped action would be taken. The chief secretary emphasised on ensuring that the NH 2 was well paved and smooth at least ahead of the Hornbill Festival in December.

Ao Senden officials and others at Tsutapela inter-state check gate on Tuesday.

Correspondent

MOKOKCHUNG, OCT

11 (NPN): A four-member team of Ao Senden led by its president Chubawati

Longchar inspected the on going construction works of Mokokchung-Mariani road (NH- 70D) on October 11.

It may be mentioned that Ao Senden had served

Ao Senden president Chubawati Longchar had told a press briefing in Mo kokchung that after having looked into the matter from all angles, it was decided “to grant a grace period of 20 more days w.e.f. 22 Sep tember” to the company for restoration of the road.

Now that deadline has expired, the Senden office bearers led by its president inspected the whole stretch of the road.

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): Aadhaar holders who were issued the unique ID more than 10 years back but have not updated their details since then are being urged to update identification and residence proof documents, UIDAI said on Tuesday.

In a statement, UIDAI said the updation can be done online as well as at Aadhaar centres. It said those who were issued the UID number more than 10 years back and have not done any updation since the issue are being “requested” to update their documents.

Taxation: On the pub lic outrage over illegal and multiple taxation by all and sundry, the chief secretary said the menace continues in some measure, despite the government having issued clear directives to DCs/ CP/ SPs to crack the whip against organised syndi cates, illegal taxations and anti-social elements. The chief secretary said the gov ernment was seized of the matter and had undertaken various measures to com bat these menaces. He said police has been asked to be proactive and to deploy mobile squads but at the same time, stressed on the

4-month cap mandatory before prosecuting public official: SC

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): The Supreme Court Tuesday held the fourmonth statutory provision for granting sanction to prosecute government of ficials in criminal cases, including graft matters, is “mandatory”, saying delay in prosecuting the corrupt “breeds a culture of impu nity” and leads to “systemic resignation” to the existence of corruption in public life.

The top court, in a sig nificant verdict, ruled, “The competent authority shall be accountable for the delay and be subject to judicial review and administrative action by the Central Vigilance Com

mission under ... the CVC Act.” A bench of Justices B R Gavai and P S Narasimha, in its 30-page verdict, how ever, said though the delay in granting the sanction to pros ecute can be assailed in the high courts and the top court, it would not be a ground for quashing the criminal cases against government officials.

It said the sanctioning authority must bear in mind that public confidence in the maintenance of the rule of law, which is fundamental in the administration of justice, is at stake here.

“By causing delay in considering the request for sanction, the sanctioning

authority stultifies judicial scrutiny, thereby vitiating the process of determination of the allegations against the corrupt official,” it said.

“Delays in prosecuting the corrupt breeds a culture of impunity and leads to systemic resignation to the existence of corruption in public life. Such inaction is fraught with the risk of making future generations getting accustomed to cor ruption as a way of life.

Viewed in this context, the duty to take an early deci sion inheres in the power vested in the appointing authority to grant or not to grant sanction,” it said.

Three months peri od, extended by one more month for legal consultation, is available to the appointing authorities for granting sanc tion to CBI and other probe agencies to prosecute public servants in criminal cases under section 197 of Code of Criminal Procedure and under Section 97 of the Pre vention of Corruption Act.

The bench was hearing the appeal of a government official Vijay Rajamohan against a Madras High Court verdict. The HC had allowed the appeal of CBI against an order of the trial court which had discharged Vijay Rajamohan on the

ground that the sanction to prosecute was vitiated due to non-application of mind in a disproportionate assets case of Rs.79.17 lakh. The CBI had made the application for sanction for prosecution on September 08, 2015 and it was granted on July 24, 2017 after a delay of a year and ten months.

It dismissed the appeal and left it to the accused government official to seek appropriate remedy.

The court dealt with le gal issues including whether the statutory period for the appointing authority to de cide upon a request for sanc tion is mandatory or not.

He said after both par ties completed the process, eviction will begin and for which the state government has assured NFR of provid ing all necessary assistance.

On the problem of shrinkage of land belong ing to Airport Authority of India at Dimapur, the chief secretary said the ongoing court case involving issu ance of unauthorised land pattas to encroachers was at final stage.

He expressed the hope that the court judgment would be favourable and that those erring officials who in the past issued the pattas would be penalised. Once the government wins the case, he said it will evict

NLTP: On the Naga land Liquor Total Prohibi tion (NLTP) Act 1989, the chief secretary also admit ted that sales of spurious liquor have boomed during the past 30 year of prohibi tion in Nagaland.

In order to decide on what needed to be done in response, he said the state government had been hold ing consultations with vari ous organisations and for which a review committee so constituted, had submit ted a comprehensive report to the government.

According to the wide views, he said prohibition only resulted in smuggling and sale of spurious liquor which had led many young people turning to drugs instead of spurious alcohol.

as his successor

C onstitution benches and landmark verdicts of the top court including on mat ters relating to the Ayodhya land dispute, will become the 50th CJI on November 9 once the recommendation is accepted by the government.

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): Chief Justice of India U U Lalit Tuesday recom mended to the Centre the name of senior-most Su preme Court judge Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandra chud as his successor.

Justice Chandrachud, who has been part of several

Justice Chandrachud will have a tenure of two years as the CJI and is due to retire on November 10, 2024. Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65. Setting in motion the process of ap pointment of the next CJI, the incumbent Chief Justice handed over the copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Chandrachud.

Staff Reporter

Nitish Kumar addressing the gathering at DDSC stadium, Dimapur on Tuesday. (NP)

AR flags in National Integration Tour

Devvrat, the Governor of Gujarat on October 6, 2022.

The participating stu dents & professors visited IIM Ahmedabad, Statue of Unity, NIFT Gandhinagar, Reliance Refinery, Ahmed abad Science City, Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition Centre, Sabarmati Ash ram, Akshardham Temple & Narara Marine Park. Enroute the students also visited India Gate & Na tional War Memorial at New Delhi.

CIH training for horticulture officers underway

DIMAPUR: A three-day trainers training on “produc tion of quality planting ma terial and accreditation of nursery of focus horticulture crops” organised by Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH) Nagaland for horti culture officers of Nagaland commenced on Tuesday.

A press release by CIH Nagaland stated that keep ing in view on the potential of horticulture crops in the region and the need for

the availability of quality planting materials, the pro gramme has been structured to provide insight on the various technical issues and solutions for production of quality planting materials and certification of horticul tural nurseries.

Through video confer ence additional commis sioner (Hort) and director i/c, Dr. N. K. Patle delivered introductory remark and interacted with the partici

pants. Altogether 19 officers from all the districts of Na galand are participating in the programme.

CIH informed that the programme would cover various aspects related to production technology and quality planting material production, pest and disease management with special reference to horticulture nurseries and guidelines for recognition and accredita tion of horticulture nurseries.

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, OCT 11

(NPN): The flag-in cer emony of National Inte gration Tour (Nagaland to Gujarat) for students of Di mapur and Chumukedima districts was held here at St. Joseph University (SJU) campus, Tuesday.

The tour was organ ised and sponsored by the Ministry of Home affairs and 43rd Bn. Assam Rifles (AR). A total of 16 stu dents (nine girls and seven boys) from Tetso College and St. Joseph University along with two professors

NSHPC to organise crusade for Nagas Correspondent

KOHIMA, OCT 11 (NPN): Naga Shisha Hoho Prayer Centre (NSHPC) Prüzie, Kohima will be organising a threeday “Confession, Renewal & Harvest Crusade for Nagas” from October 21 to 23 under the theme, ‘Doing in obedience’ at its premises adjacent to Nagaland Legislative As sembly, Kohima.

Informing this during a press conference, pastor of the centre, Vezokho Vero, said they were ex pecting around 2000 del egates from different parts of the state to partake in the crusade.

In this regard, Vero requested all prayer cen tres, prayer houses and prayer fellowships to come join the crusade. He also invited state politicians, NGOs and national work ers to come and receive God’s blessing.

Vero informed that during the crusade, the congregation would pray for God’s intervention to stop bloodshed, social evils, drug and alcohol abuse, particularly during the forthcoming general election 2023.

“The need of the hour for the Nagas is to have honest politicians, officials, public leaders, NGOs and church leaders. Therefore, pray to God that He will send such people among the Nagas” he added.

Phezoucha Nagamese Baptist Church Kohima, pastor and organising committee convenor, Rev. Velavoyi Keyho, informed there would be five speak ers.

The crusade would include; senior pastor, Sumi Aphuyemi Baptist Church Kohima, Rev. Dr. Kiyeto G. Sumi, vice presi dent, Nagaland Christian Forum, Rev. Dr. Neike dozo Paphino, senior pas tor, Lotha Baptist Church Kohima, Rev. Dr. Benry Lotha, executive secre tary, Chakhesang Bap tist Church Council, Rev. Khrotso Mero, and former senior pastor, Kohima Ao Baptist Church, Rev. Asangba Ao, while Call of God Ministry will lead Praise & Worship.

Later, Vero requested all delegates to reach the venue by October 21 with light bedding and advance prayer group to reach by

each from the respective colleges, participated in the tour. The ten-day tour which was flagged-off on September 30 culminated on October 10.

With an aim to pro vide the students of Naga land exposure to various educational and industrial institutions in the state of Gujarat, and to bring about comprehensive growth, the NIT was organised. It was flagged-off from Tetso Col lege by Brigadier Sachinder Tiwari, Sena Medal, Com mander, 6 Sector Assam Rifles in the presence of civil dignitaries, GB’s, pro

fessors & students of both colleges.

During the flag-in pro gramme, Inspector Gener al of Assam Rifles (N) Maj. Gen. Vikas Lahera as guest of honour, stated that he was hopeful that the tour programme had enriched the minds and wisdom of the tour team.

Lahera also men tioned about undertaking the tour, which he said was to give the student a glimpse of India as a coun try, and where it is headed.

Lahera called upon the young people to par ticipate in the story of

progress, and to be a part of the journey. He encouraged the students to venture out and explore the diversity of the country.

During the pro gramme, experiences of the tour were shared by the students wherein it was mentioned that they witness a demonstration by the elite National Se curity Guards (NSG) and an equipment display by 18 Maratha Light Infantry Battalion.

During the National Integration Tour, students also got the opportunity of interacting with Acharya

Condolence messages on demise of Padma Shri Dr. Temsula Ao

D IMAPUR: Various or ganisations have conveyed condolences at the demise of former chairperson Na galand State Commission for Women, and renowned writer and ethnographer, Padma Shri, Dr. Temsula Ao who passed away on October 9.

NWHD: Naga Women Hoho Dimapur (NWHD) while expressing deep sad den at the demise of Dr. Temsula said her immense contribution to the society in different field was com mendable and exemplary.

In a condolence mes sage, NWHD said late Dr. Temsula has inscribed a his tory with her life and works, which would be marked as a golden era in the field of lit erature, academic and social work. NWHD said it would remember dearly, Dr. Tem

sula’s support to empower ment of women and her dedication to the common cause of women especially those who suffer silently, and that her life would always be remembered and celebrated through all times.

Further, NWHD has extended heartfelt condo lences to the bereaved family and prayed that God walk with them in this time of untold grief, and for the de parted soul to rest in eternal peace.

NEWF: Northeast Writers’ Forum said with profound grief and disbelief that the forum accepts the moving away of a legend into the other world.

In a condolence mes sage, NEWF said, besides being the renowned writer and ethnographer, Dr. Tem sula Ao had been associated

with members of the forum as mentor, writer and guide.

The forum said Dr. Temsula’s warmth and sim plicity embraced all who crossed her path, and had opportunity to spend time with her and that she had been a torch bearer from the North East, and the forum continue to celebrate her life through what she loved and lived for, the stories she had told and the history she had created in the literary realm.

NEWF also thanked Dr. Temsula Ao, for choos ing the members of the fo rum to walk a part of her journey on earth with and hoped that her stories con tinue to regale and inspire.

Earlier, flag-in pro gramme was chaired by Lotsala Sangtam of MAIII Semester, welcome address was delivered by dean of students affairs, St. Joseph University, profes sor Charles, cultural song and dance were presented by St. Joseph University students from history de partment and education department, and invoca tion prayer was offered by St. Joseph University campus manager, Rev. Fr. Sezhian. Students were also facilitated during the programme.

The flag-in pro gramme was attended by local administration of ficials, college staff and students.

W’shop & seminar on mushroom cultivation

DIMAPUR: District Hor ticulture Officer (DHO) Kiphire organised a district level workshop and seminar on “mushroom cultivation and its value addition” on October 8 at DHO office, Kiphire, with senior scien tist KVK Kiphire, Dr. N. Khumdemo Ezung as guest of honour.

In a press release, DHO office stated that resource person, subject matter spe cialist, Krishi Vigyan Ken dra (KVK) Kiphire, Tem jenna Jamir highlighted the importance and scope of mushroom cultivation, eco nomic & nutritional value, and market demand.

With profound gratitude, we the bereaved family members of Late Mr. Neicakhotuo Chüsi would like to thank each and every individual for your kind acts of love and support to our beloved father throughout the period of his illness till he left for his eternal home to be with the Lord on October 6, 2022.

We regret our inability to thank each and every one of you individually, yet it is our prayer that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

Our special thanks to: • Seitheke Basa Baptist Church, all the subordinate departments and members • Seitheke Basa Village Council, the various organizations and all its members • Doctors, Nurses and the supporting Staff of CIHSR • PHED Chumukedima Sub-Division and individual staff • Prayer groups and Prayer partners from across the State

Chakhro Kuda Razha Union

fought the good fight,

kept the

Flag-in ceremony of National Integration Tour at SJU Campus. (NP)

Guest of honour, dignitaries, and students at the Flag-in programme on Tuesday. (NP)

Observance of World Mental Health Day across Nagaland

barrier to social inclusion.

DIMAPUR: World Men tal Health Day (WMHD) was observed in Nagaland on October 10 under the theme, “Make health and well-being for all a global priority”. Various pro grammes and campaigns were held across the state to create awareness and sensitise people on mental health.

20,000 people in Naga land with severe mental illness

In Nagaland, 20,000 (approx) people are suf fering from severe mental illness and two lakhs with “minor mental illness”, in formed director (FW) Dr. T. Wabang during department of Health & Family Wel fare (DH&FW) WMHD observance at IDSP Hall, DHFW.

In addition to the ex isting health problems, Dr. Wabang said many aspects of mental health have been a challenge due to the emer gence of COVID-19 pan demic. He estimated 25% rise in both anxiety and depression disorder during the first year of pandemic.

“It is only necessary that mental health aware ness should be propagated diligently and to fight this illness together and also

mental health awareness should be recognized, pro moted and protected,” said Dr. Wabang.

DH&FW principal di rector, Dr. K Vikato Kinimi also expressed concern over the rise in mental health is sues and asserted the need for the medical department to play a vital role to eradi cate mental sickness and safe lives.

He said mental illness and its symptoms have been prominently evident with the present generation be cause of which many pre cious lives have been lost.

Deputy director SPO, NMHP, Dr. C. Kezo high lighted on Tele Mental Health Assistance and Net working Across State (TMANAS), an initiative of government of India which envisions to provide uni versal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24x7 tele mental health services as a digital component of the NMHP across all Indian states/ UTs. It also aims to ex tend services to vulnerable group of populations and difficulty to reach popula tion.

To implement T-MA

WSBAK 11th children festival culminates

DIMAPUR: A three-day Western Sümi Baptist Akukuhou Küqhakulu (WSBAK) 11th children festival held under the theme, “Children of the light (Aküvü lo Tianuli) 1 Thesa 5:5” organised by the Department of Christian Education Ministry (Do CEM) and hosted by Che kiye Village Baptist Church concluded on October 6.

A press release by WS BAk informed that a total of 5520 children from 132 churches under WSBAK registered and attended the festival, while the overall attendee was approximated to 10,000.

During the festival, messages based on the theme were delivered by WSBAK executive secre tary, Rev. Dr. Phughoto Sema, secretary, DoCEM, Jesse K. Yeptho and WS BAK, office assistant, Dr. Vivi Achumi.

Words of encourage ment was delivered by (Retd.) director, land re source, Hoto Yeptho and director, social welfare, Tosheli Zhimomi Yep tho while Western Sümi Totimi Hoho (WSTH) president, Visheli Yeptho encouraged the young sters to preserve the Sümi culture.

Chumou Power division informs consumers

DIMAPUR: Department of power, office of the ex ecutive engineer electrical division, Chumoukedima has informed all catego ries of consumers under Chumoukedima electrical division that the depart ment would carrying out routine disconnection drive from October 20 without further notice.

In a press release, EE electrical division, Chu moukedima, Er. Ahoto Aye has asked all villages and towns under Chumouke dima electrical division to clear the outstanding ar rears before the stipulated date. Consumers have been requested to visit the office of the concerned SDO (electrical) in case of any discrepancies in the elec tricity bill or non-receivable of electricity bills.

JTLBC conducts medical camp

DIMAPUR: As part of mis sion week, Jalukie Town Lo cal Baptist Church (JTLBC) mission department con ducted a one-day medical camp on October 9 at church premises. Around 120 pa tients from poor families and destitute were treated and free medicines were given to all the patients.

NAS in the state, Dr. Kezo said the existing resources and platforms are to be mapped and partnerships to be strengthened to ensure mental health services to the entire population es pecially vulnerable groups.

Mental and physical health equally important District Mental Health Program (DMHP), Zun heboto observed WMHD at Primary Health Centre (PHC) Satakha, wherein the importance of both mental and physical health was asserted by the clinical psychologist, DMHP Zun heboto, Atolimi I Khujumi.

She also talked about some common types and causes of mental illness and the importance to talk about mental health and take necessary actions to deal with problems like stress, depression, and anxi ety. Khujumi also urged the people not to stigmatise those with mental health issues but to provide emo tional support to those suffering from it.

At the programme, DPO Zunheboto, Dr. Mhonchan Kithan high lighted the gathering on TMANAS and its objectives.

Need to relook and

redefine mental health

The urgent need to relook and redefine men tal health was highlighted by District Hospital (DH) Mon, clinical psycholo gist, Linokali Sumi during WMHD observance at DH Mon.

While highlighting the gathering on mental health, she busted several myths surrounding mental health and said that these myths also serve as a “giant factor responsible for people to not seek help or speak up and suffer in silence”.

Sumi said such social stigma and misconceptions are the result of low level of literacy in mental health and called for more aware ness and sensitisation on the issue.

MO DH Mon Dr. Ngampa said that there can be no physical health without mental health and stressed on the importance of mental well-being just as any other physical wellbeing.

DMHP and CMHP visits ‘Missionaries of Charity’: District Men tal Health Programme (DMHP) Dimapur and CMHP Prodigals’ Home in commemoration of

WMHD visited “Mission aries of Charity” on Oc tober 10 at Notun Bosti to spread awareness on mental health.

A press release in formed that the visit initi ated by SMO (Psychiatrist), DMHP, Dr. Temsuyanger was to acknowledge the services being provided by “Missionaries of Charity” to persons with mental illness and the destitute.

In the absence of a gov ernment managed shelter home for persons with men tal illness in Nagaland, the charity home is shouldering a significant responsibility by caring for the neglected, he added. During the visit, residents of the shelter home were also provided with ration and supplies.

NDWM & ACID: National Domestic Work ers Movement (NDWM) Nagaland Region in collab oration with Assisi Centre for Integrated Development (ACID) observed WMHD at Assisi Auditorium.

At the programme, for NDWM Nagaland region coordinator, Sr. Pramila spoke on the need to take care of mental health. She said stigma and discrimina tion has continue to be a

NEWS IN BRIEF

Wokha DPDB meeting: Chairman, District Planning & Development Board (DPDB) Wokha & Advisor for Law & Justice, Dr. Chumben Murry has informed all DPDB members that the monthly DPDB meeting would be held on October 12, 11 AM at the Deputy Commissioner (DC) conference hall all. All concerned departments have been requested to come prepared for presentation/discussion.

Further, all the board members have been requested to note the deferment and attend the meeting positively.

Tseminyu DPDB meeting: District Planning Officer & Member secretary DPDB, Tseminyu, Vilhouhunuo Sachu has informed that the monthly DPDB meeting would be held on October 13, 12 PM at the official chamber of DC, Tseminyu. All board members and officers have been requested to attend the meeting.

Kohima DPDB meeting: Deputy Commissioner (DC) & vice chairman, DPDB Kohima, Shanavas C has in formed all concerned members of DPDB Kohima that the monthly meeting would be held on October 17, 10 AM at DP&DB conference hall, Kohima. All the board members have been requested to attend the meeting.

CPO convenes meeting: Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO) has convened an executive meeting on October 14, 10 AM at CPO Hall Chümoukedima. All concerned members from different circles and villages have been requested to attend the meeting.

Commissioner of taxes informs: Commissioner of State

Main speaker, found er director Gracious Life Foundation, Lisali M Humtsoe spoke on the im portance of mental health, how physical health affects the physical body in the same way mental health affects the mental stabil ity and the need to speak out regarding our mental health and its wellbeing.

Founder director Prodigals’ home, and collob. director Child line Dimapur, Ela explained on the different programmes that were con ducted through community mental health programme.

NU: Department of psychology, Nagaland Uni versity observed WMHD by organising a special programme wherein stu dents took part in mental health talk, poster, and pamphlet competitions. The department is also organizing a month-long mental health talk program to commemorate the World Mental Health Day 2022 focusing on 2022 theme “Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority”. The faculty mem bers of the department are engaging in Mental Health Talks in various depart

Taxes, Nagaland, Gregory Thejawelie has informed that the department of state taxes has deployed the Commer cial State Tax Officers (CSTOs) in the state to work and prepare a survey report on GST compliance by all the stakeholders in the state. Therefore, the commissioner has requested all stakeholder to cooperate and provide the necessary information to the CSTOs to enable them to complete the exercise by November 30, 2022.

SP Wokha notifies: Superintendent of Police (SP) Wokha has informed all adjoining colonies and villages within police reserve area firing zone area that the “A” Coy 7th NAP Wokha would be conducting annual classification firing practice from October 13-14 at DEF Wokha Firing Range. Therefore, all the adjoining colonies and villages have been requested to stay away from the firing range/ danger zone area to prevent any loss/injury to human lives, livestock and materials.

GPRN/NSCN informs: Pursuant to the change in administrative set up of Union Territory (UT), GPRN/ NSCN through its MIP has informed that kilonser, Hekiye Zhimo has assumed and took over the charge as chairman of UT under GPRN administration as per government “ahza”. It has also informed that prohibition Orders has been placed against sale of banned substances and im moral activities within the stretch of National Highway and Union Territory (UT) jurisdiction with necessary penalties as per GPRN “ahza”.

ments of Nagaland Uni versity, Kohima Campus, and in various colleges in and around Kohima.

SC: Department of Psychology, Sazolie College observed World Mental Health Day at the college auditorium, wherein re source person, psychologist, NTCP, District Hospital, Phek, Neiweii Losuo high lighted on various mental illnesses such anxiety, de pression, sexual abuse and the ill effects of watching pornography. She spoke on the importance of sensitiz ing the public about mental health through psycho-edu cation. She also discussed the increasing usage of to bacco among young people and offered some guidance to curb this habit.

LFIC: Department of Psychology, Livingstone Foundation International College observed WMHD organising various activities such as extempore speech, art and poetry competition, face painting, personality assessment and a showcase of talents. The competi tions were based on mental health and its importance.

SJU: Department of Psychology and Counsel ling, St. Joseph Univer

sity, Nagaland organized a Psych Fest to observe WMHD, wherein psychia trist consultant, Nikos Hos pital, Dimapur, Dr. Ayan gla Longchar stressed on the importance of overcom ing stigma towards mental illness. She also briefed that gathering on some of the common mental disor ders which include phobia, OCD, PTSD, depression, eating disorder and more severe like schizophrenia.

After the formal pro gramme, model exhibi tion, face painting, poster presentation, collage, pho tography and street play all of which centered around the theme of WMHD was conducted.

TC: Department of Psychology Tetso College in collaboration with Dis trict Mental Health Pro gramme observed WMHD, wherein students partici pated actively by perform ing plays, songs, plays etc. on various topics. The twoday programme concluded with the aim to spread awareness about mental health, its impact on both parents and their children and how to move towards breaking the stigma mental illnesses carry with them.

WMHD Assisi Centre for Integrated Development

WMHD DMHP and Prodigals’ with Missionaries of Charity WMHD Nagaland University

Heavy rain inundates parts of Assam; over 33,000 affected

Media houses cease work in Mnp

Correspondent

IMPHAL, OCT 11: News papers failed to hit the stands in Manipur on Tuesday after journalists went on cease work strike following a fresh diktat from two factions of an armed rebel outfit interfering in the affairs of a prominent student body.

The newspapers sus pended publications fol lowing a decision taken in an emergency joint meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AM WJU) and Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) convened on Monday afternoon.

houses were threatened of attack by both factions of the rebel outfit for not obeying their diktat.

An emergency joint meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) convened at Manipur Press Club, Imphal on Monday evening resolved to suspend publication of newspapers indefinitely.

BJP to contest all 60 seats in 2023 Meghalaya assembly polls

GUWAHATI, OCT 11

(PTI):

Heavy rain in various parts of Assam and adjoin ing Arunachal Pradesh has led to the inundation of several areas in Assam, af fecting over 33,000 people, an official bulletin said on Tuesday.

The Regional Meteo rological Centre, Guwahati, has forecast more rain over the next two days, which may further deteriorate the situation. An Assam State Disaster Management Au thority (ASDMA) in its flood bulletin said Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh districts have been affected by the rain that lashed the state since Monday.

Altogether 33,836 peo

Meghalaya mountaineer laid to rest

ple in 46 villages under eight revenue circles of these three districts are currently reeling under the calamity. Though no relief camps have been opened yet, six relief distri bution centres are functional in Dhemaji district.

An embankment at Naoboicha in Lakhimpur district has been affected, while roads in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji have been damaged, as per the AS DMA report. Reports of erosion from Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Morig aon and Sonitpur districts have also been received.

The ASDMA bulletin also said the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the dan ger level at Nematighat in

Jorhat district. The Regional Meteorological Centre, Gu wahati, said that rain with thunderstorms and lightning is likely to occur in various places in 21 districts of the state till Wednesday.

The state had wit nessed one of the worst deluges earlier this year, with floods and landslides claiming 199 lives so far.

Almost every year, three to four waves of flood ravage Assam.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week asked the Assam government to devise a long-term plan to protect the northeastern state from flood for decades so that more development can take place.

Local cable networks had already suspended broadcasting news from Monday evening, following the decision.

Sources said that me dia houses in Imphal have been under pressure over entertaining press releases issued by an internal con flict ridden student body.

The matter became complicated following in terference by the factions of a rebel outfit and media houses were pressured to obey their diktats.

Since the internal conflict within the student body surfaced, majority of the media houses avoided publication of press re leases related to the internal conflict.

However, the situation worsened after the media

Centre giving substantial attention to NE region: NITI Aayog VC Suman Bery

NEW YORK, JUL 14 (PTI): NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Suman Bery has said the attention of the government towards India’s Northeast is substantial and political parties are vying with each other to offer attractive platforms for the region, amidst the “asser tiveness of China”.

Correspondent

SHILLONG, OCT 11: The body of a trainee mountain eer from Meghalaya, Tiklu Jyrwa, who was hit by an avalanche in Uttarakhand, was laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon at the Presbyte rian Church cemetery here.

The funeral service was attended by a large number of family and friends of Jyrwa. Jyrwa had had gone for training in an advanced mountaineering course or ganised by the Nehru In stitute of Mountaineering.

On October 4, Jyr wa who is a member of Meghalaya Sport Climbing & Mountaineering Asso ciation (MeSCMA), and his team of 40 other members were hit by an avalanche.

As part of their course they had climbed the Mount Draupadi Ka Danda - II peak in Uttarakhand’s Ut tarkashi district when the avalanche hit the team while returning back. His body was recovered four days later on October 8.

Berry made the re marks while addressing a round table organised by the Consulate General of India here on Transforming India, in partnership with NITI Aayog, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and TiE New York.

Bery said the asser tiveness of China and the Northeast region becoming an area of significant con tention in Indian politics are two factors that are making the difference and political parties are vying with each other to offer attractive plat forms for India’s Northeast region. Bery, responding to a question about Assam and the Northeast and how it can get better linked to the rest of India, said I would sug gest that two factors which are linked with each other are making a difference, whether they are making enough of a difference we can debate.

One is the assertiveness of China and the second is that the Northeast re

Heroin worth over Rs 45 crore seized in Assam

gion has become an area of significant contention in Indian politics in a way that it hadn’t (earlier). I think parties are vying with each other to offer attractive platforms for the Northeast, he said adding that the kind of attention that I’m aware of within government circles towards Northeast is sub stantial.

Bery said how long it will take to integrate it is a question of physical distance, infrastructure. In frastructure is being put in. But I wouldn’t lose sight of how much effort this govern ment has also been putting into deeper infrastructure in tegration with Bangladesh, and include Bangladesh into a kind of US-Canada sort of infrastructure linkage, which would be huge for the Northeast.

And India has also been giving attention to an other mechanism of region

al connectivity BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Coopera tion), essentially attempting to make the Bay of Bengal area, which is a large area, another area of integration. So, those will be my sets of responses on why the future for the Northeast region will be different from the past, he said. India shares a 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

The most recent border standoff between the In dian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

The face-off escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020. Both sides gradually en hanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides com pleted the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

China has unresolved territorial disputes with a number of countries in the South China Sea and well as the East China Sea.

A joint emergency general body meeting of All Manipur Working Jour nalists’ Union (AMWJU), Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) and Manipur Hill Journalists’ Union (MHJU) convened today at Manipur Press Club, Imphal, after a thorough deliberation on the issue, reaffirmed the decision by the emergency meeting of the AMWJU and EGM.

The general body meeting decided to convene a meeting today (Wednes day) with major civil society organizations (CSOs) and deliberated on the issue.

Whether the publica tion of newspapers will re sumed or not is likely to be decided after the meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, the scribes have decided to stage a sit-in-protest in Imphal from 9 am till 2 pm denouncing the pressure and threats to the media houses, AMWJU informed its members, in a circular.

SHILLONG, OCT 11 (IANS): After having ‘strained relationship’ with the National People’s Party (NPP), which dominated Meghalaya Democratic Al liance (MDA) government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced to field candidates in all the 60 seats in the next assembly elections, due in February next year.

Meghalaya BJP Presi dent Ernest Mawrie said that the party would contest in all 60 Assembly seats in the state in the assembly election, which is less than five months away from now.

“The BJP would do well in Meghalaya in the upcoming polls as the people are very happy for the schemes being implemented by the BJPled Central Government,” Mawrie told the media.

He said that the party has already finalised its strategies to take on the other parties in the ensuing assembly polls.

In the last assembly polls in 2018, the BJP had nominated 47 candidates including two women nomi nees, and won two seats - Pynthorumkhrah (Alexan der Laloo Hek) and South Shillong (Sanbor Shullai).

Shullai is now a cabinet minister of the MDA gov ernment headed by Chief

Minister and the NPP Presi dent Conrad K. Sangma.

With two members, BJP is the junior partner of the NPP-led MDA gov ernment but the saffron party’s relations have been deteriorating since last year on various policy matters.

Last month, state BJP leaders threatened to withdraw support from the MDA government. But the party is now silent on the pullout decision. BJP MLA and Minister Shul lai, who holds the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Arts and Culture, Prisons and Correctional Services, Labour Departments, re cently indicated that his party might not withdraw support from the MDA government.

With state BJP lead ers largely mum after their pullout threat, political pundits are saying that the

party’s Central leaders did not endorse the state unit’s decision. Chief Minister Sangma has already termed the state BJP leaders’ threat as an “individual decision” while NPP state President W.R. Kharlukhi described it as “total farce”.

Meghalaya BJP Presi dent Ernest Mawrie, former Health and Family Wel fare Minister Alexander Laloo Hek, BJP national Vice-President and party’s Meghalaya in-charge M. Chuba Ao earlier separately said that the state party lead ers unanimously decided to withdraw support from the MDA government but the fi nal decision would be taken by the Central leadership.

To a query about the reasons behind the decision to quit the ruling coalition almost at the end of the full five year term, Hek had told IANS that “everything would be disclosed and explained in detail at an appropriate time”.

NPP’s relation with the BJP had been gradually souring over various issues, specially after the arrest of BJP state Vice President Bernard N. Marak, who was arrested from Uttar Pradesh by the Meghalaya Police on July 25 for allegedly running a brothel in the West Garo Hills district.

Rhino involved in Kaziranga accident doing good: Himanta

GUWAHATI, OCT 11 (PTI): A rhino, which had run into a speeding truck on a highway in the Kaziranga National Park recently, was found in a healthy condition on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The animal had stum bled down under the impact of the hit and had limped back into the forest, leading to concerns about its health.

Sarma shared on Twit ter a 1.06-minute drone video that was taken in the

Bir Bikram’s commemorative postage stamp soon

AGARTALA, OCT 11(PTI): The Ministry of Communications has ap proved a proposal by former Tripura chief minister Bi plab Deb for a commemo rative postage stamp on Bir Bikram Kishore Bahadur, who was the ruler of the erstwhile princely state.

Sunil Sharma, the deputy director general of philately, asked the Rajya Sabha MP in a letter to submit the proposal in the prescribed form with a fresh date of release next year.

“Glad to share that the Philatelic Advisory Com mittee has accepted our proposal for issuing of Com memorative Postage Stamp on Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishor Manikya Bahadur,” Deb posted on social media

on Monday night. “It is a matter of great pride for the people of Tripura & our gratitude to GoI (Govern ment of India) led by PM Sri Narendra Modi Ji,” he said, posting the Department of Posts’ letter, which is dated September 9.

Following persistent efforts by Deb, the Union government had renamed the Agartala airport after Bahadur for his contribution towards modern Tripura.

The BJP-IPFT government has also declared holiday on his birth anniversary on August 19. Born in 1908, the maharaja lived for only 39 years, but did wonderful works in education, infra structure development and tribal rights on land during the Manikya dynasty.

Haldibari recently, is found to be doing good,” Sarma tweeted.

“Urge all to be kind to our animals. Go slow while passing through corridors, where you know some ani mals might cross,” he said.

Sarma had shared a 10-second video on Sun day that showed the rhino running into a truck while trying to cross National Highway 37, which cuts through the park. The truck intercepted was later and a fine was imposed.

Declaration

I, Shri. KeDicHet naMcYn, S/o HEIDET NAMCYN of Peren District, Nagaland do hereby solemnly affirm and declare before the Magistrate.

That my actual name is Shri. KEDICHET NAMCYN and my father's actual name is HEIDET NAMCYN, whereas it has been inadvertently written as Shri. KEZHALEO and my father's name as PESILHOULIE, being used for all my official correspondence.

That from this day of signing this Affidavit my name shall be used as Shri. KEDICHET NAMCYN and my father's name as HEIDET NAMCYN for all correspondence and legal purposes.

Declarant

Solemnly declared before me on this day the 13th of September 2022.

Magistrate/notaryDb-1187/22

Affid Avit

Regd. No. 391 Date 10/10/2022

Shri. Y. Wanmei, S/o N. Yangang permanent residents of Yonghong Village under Dist. Mon in the state of Nagaland do hereby solemnly state and affirm as follows :-

1. That, I am a bonafide citizen of India and a permanent resident of the above mention address.

2. That my name has been inadvertently entered in my Appointment Order as Y Wanmei Konyak.

3. That, from this day onward my actual name shall be spelled as Y. Wanmei for all purpose officially or private.

4. That, the above mentioned are true to the best of my knowledge and that no part of this affidavit is false and nothing has been cancelled herewith.

Solemnly sworn and signed this affidavit on this day 10/10/2022 Tobu.

DEPONENT

1st Class Magistrate/Notary PublicDP-4885/22

In the Court of PrInCIPal DIstrICt & sessIons JuDge DImaPur : nagalanD S/C No. 532/2022

notICe InvItIng

KARIMGANJ (ASSAM),

OCT 11 (PTI): In a major haul, heroin worth over Rs 45 crore was seized from a truck by a joint team of BSF and Assam Police in Karim ganj district on Tuesday, a police officer said.

The heroin was seized from a truck near New Karimganj Railway Station in the early hours of Tues day while it was en route to Tripura from Mizoram via Karimganj, he said.

Based on specific in

formation, personnel of BSF and Karimganj Police intercepted the truck and seized the heroin packed in 764 soap cases, hidden in a secret chamber in the driver’s cabin, the officer said. The heroin weighs around 9.47 kg and is val ued at an estimated Rs 47.4 crore, he added.

The officer said the driver of the truck has been arrested and interrogation is on to ascertain further details.

Whereas

person

are hereby summoned to appear before the Court

by

instructed and able to answer

to the suit

material

A.M.

Take notice that in default of

be heard

suit

04.11.2022

appearance

determined

Given under my hand and the seal of the Court

the

day

Civil Judge (Junior division)

Nagaland.

NO ti CE

Students wade through a waterlogged street following rains in Guwahati, Tuesday. (PTI)

Police pose for the media after recovering 9.46 kgs of heroin in Karimganj. (PTI)

morning. The clip showed the animal in a normal state near Haldibari area of the park and moving around

in a pit. “An urgent update: Our Rhino friend, who met with an accident in

A rhinoceros who was recently hit by a speeding truck at Haldibari in Dhubri, recovers from his injuries. (PTI)

Tiklu Jyrwa

Ernest Mawrie

Suman Bery

PM inaugurates Mahakal Corridor in Ujjain; healthcare facilities in Ahmedabad

UJJAIN/AHMED

ABAD, OCT 11 (PTI):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inau gurated the first phase of the Mahakal Lok corridor project at Ujjain in Mad hya Pradesh and also per formed puja at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in the city.

The country has now broken the “shackles of colonialism” and cultural sites are undergoing com prehensive development, he said.

Earlier in the day, he inaugurated healthcare facilities in Ahmedabad, and also took on Congress at a rally by claiming that it had now “outsourced” the job of targeting him to others as it is trying to cap ture votes silently in rural parts in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls.

The highlight of the prime minister’s visit to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh was the function to dedicate the first phase of the more-than-900 me tres-long Mahakal corri

dor at Ujjain.

The total project cost of the Mahakal Lok (cor ridor) is Rs 856 crore with the first phase costing Rs 351 crore, a state official said.

The corridor, said to be one of the longest in the country, traverses the old Rudrasagar lake which has been revived as part of the redevelopment project around the Mahakalesh war Temple, one of the 12 ‘jyotirlingas’.

Before that, the prime minister performed puja inside the sanctum sanctorum of Mahakal Temple, attired in tradi tional dhoti and gamcha (stole).

Speaking at a public function afterwards, Modi said the corridor project will add to Ujjain’s vi brancy.

“Spirituality is con tained in every particle and divine energy is be ing transmitted in every corner of Ujjain,” he said, adding, “Ujjain has led India’s prosperity, knowl

edge, dignity and literature for thousands of years.”

“Innovation comes with renovation. India is renovating what it had lost in the era of slavery. India is renovating it and restor ing its glory,” he said.

The country has now broken the “shackles of

Mulayam Yadav cremated at Saifai

colonialism” and cultural destinations across In dia are seeing all-around development, the prime minister said.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister addressed a rally at Jamkandorna town in Rajkot district in Gujarat ahead of the state

Assembly polls due this year-end.

“In the last 20 years, those who were against Gujarat left no stone unturned to defame the state. They hurled choic est abuse against me, in cluding calling me ‘maut ka saudagar’,” the prime

minister said, in apparent reference to the Congress leadership.

“They have suddenly gone silent. They have outsourced the contract of creating ruckus, making noise and abusing me, to others. They are silently going to villages and ask ing people for votes,” he said, without naming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the new entrant to Gujarat poll fray.

When the govern ment makes a move against corruption, “an entire group shouts against us”, and begins to defame government institutions, he said.

“Why don’t you give a straight reply to the al legations levelled against you. You will have to pay back whatever you have looted from the public,” Modi added.

Congress leaders should be asked if they visited the world’s tallest Statue of Unity, built in honour of India’s first home minister Sardar Val

Uddhav-led Sena workers carry flaming torch to Bal Thackeray’s memorial

MUMBAI, OCT 11 (PTI):

Workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena camp on Tuesday visited the memorial of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray in Mumbai carrying a flam ing torch with them, a day after the Election Com mission allotted ‘mashaal’ symbol to the party faction.

SAIFAI, OCT 11 (PTI):

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leader Mal likarjun Kharge, and Na tionalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar were among those who joined thousands of people at the funeral of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday.

Rajasthan Chief Min ister Ashok Gehlot, his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chan drababu Naidu, NCP leader Praful Patel, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(M) general sec retary Prakash Karat and the Left party leader Sitaram Yechury were among the other dignitaries who paid their tributes to the social ist leader at the Saifai Mela Ground here.

Chandrababu Naidu, also the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, termed Yadav’s demise a

“loss for Uttar Pradesh”.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were seen offering their condolences to Yadav’s son and incumbent SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Minister Jitin Prasada, too, took part in the funeral rites.

Businessman Anil Ambani, Yadav’s brother and Pragatisheel Sama jwadi Party (Lohia) founder Shivpal Yadav, senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, NCP leader Supriya Sule, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaud hary, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh were present as the three-time chief minister was to consigned to flames.

Actor and SP MP Jaya Bachchan marked his pres ence along with her actor son Abhishek Bachchan at the three-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s funeral cer emony.

BJP leader Rita Bahu guna Joshi, one of the oppo

sition party leaders who ar rived early, said Yadav never considered his political op ponents as enemies and that he shared a personal bond with every leader.

Yoga guru Baba Ram dev, too, was seen accompa nying Akhilesh Yadav at the ceremony.

Senior SP leaders Azam Khan, Abu Azmi, Ramgopal Yadav, Dharmen dra Yadav, Swami Prasad Maurya, Ram Gobind Chaudhary, Kiranmoy Nan da, and Om Prakash Singh were among the leaders that were seen since morning at the pandal where their party patron’s coffin was kept.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had also served as the defence minister, passed away aged 82 at a private hospital in Gurugram on Monday.

His mortal remains were brought to Saifai that evening and kept at his ‘kothi’, where thousands descended to pay their last respects to their “netaji”, as he was fondly called.

ED raids premises of senior officials, businessmen in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR, OCT 11 (PTI):

The Enforcement Director ate (ED) raided the prem ises of senior officials, busi nessmen and politicians of the ruling Congress at dif ferent locations in Chhat tisgarh on Tuesday, sources said.

Chief Minister Bh upesh Baghel termed it as an “act of intimidation”.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not able to fight directly, hence it is trying to fight through the ED, Income Tax (I-T) depart ment and the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Baghel told report ers here.

According to sources, separate teams of the ED conducted raids in state capital Raipur, Raigarh, Mahasamund, Korba and other districts.

The raids covered premises of a district col lector, some senior offi cials, businessman and politicians of the ruling party, the sources said with

Bhupesh Baghel

out elaborating. Baghel said, “The BJP is not able to fight directly, so is trying to fight through the ED, IT and DRI. I have already said that they will come again and it’s not the last time. Their visits will increase as the election ap proaches. This is just an act of intimidation and noth ing else.”

The state Assembly elections are due in Novem ber 2023.

Chhattisgarh Con gress communication cell chief Sushil Anand Shukla said he had an apprehen sion that the BJP would misuse central agencies in the state as it was unable to

fight a political battle (with the ruling party).

CM Baghel had also expressed the apprehension many times, Shukla said.

If the action is taken as per law then there is no problem, he said.

“But, the BJP is mis using the central agencies across the country to cre ate pressure,” he claimed, adding that this is condem nable.

“The Congress party will not be scared of such malpractices. We will fight them. We will expose them before the public,” Shukla said.

Last month, the I-T department had conducted raids at the premises of businessmen associated with steel and coal busi nesses.

Similar raids conduct ed by the I-T department in June-July this year covered the premises of coal busi nessman Suryakant Tiwari and a government officer posted in the Chief Minis ter’s Office.

The party workers also visited ‘Matoshree’, the private residence of for mer chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Ban dra, with a burning torch in their hands. Uddhav Thac keray asked the party work ers to realise the importance of the new symbol.

This is being viewed as the Udd hav Thacker ay camp’s efforts to make people aware of the new symbol, ahead of the bypoll to Andheri east Assembly seat in Mumbai scheduled on November 3.

The party workers also took out processions with the new symbol in different districts, including Nagpur and Aurangabad.

The Election Commis sion on Monday allotted ‘flaming tor ch’ (mashaal) election symbol to the Ud

dhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, rejecting their claim to the ‘Trishul’ citing religious connotation.

In an order on the dis pute in the Shiv Sena, the Election Commission al lotted ‘ShivSena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ as the party name for the Thac keray faction, and ‘Balasa hebanchi Shiv Sena’ (Bala saheb’s Shiv Sena) as the name for the Eknath Shinde group of the party.

On Tuesday, the Ud dhav Thackeray faction members, including former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, visited Bal Thac

keray’s memorial at the Shivaji Park in Dadar area and paid respects to the late leader and the party’s new election symbol.

The Uddhav Thac keray-led faction will con test the bypoll to Andheri east seat in Mumbai on the ‘flaming torch’ symbol.

The by-election, ne cessitated due to the death of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, is expected to be a straight fight between the Thackeray faction and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a first after the vertical split in the Shiv Sena in June this year.

VACANCIES

labhbhai Patel, he told BJP workers.

Gujarat was trans formed in the last 20 years, said Modi who was the state’s chief minister from 2001 to 2014.

Later he launched Rs 1,275 crore-worth healthcare facilities at the Civil Hospital (Asarwa) in Ahmedabad.

A doctor prescribes medicine, surgery and proper care to cure a pa tient, the prime minister said on the occasion.

“If I am to put the same thing differently, then to improve the health care system of Gujarat, my government adopted all these three processes,” said Modi.

“Surgery means changing the old system. My way of surgery is to use the scissors on in action, sloppiness and corruption. Then comes medicine, which means making new efforts every day to develop new sys tems, human resources, infrastructure, innova

tion, building new hospi tals. And the third is care, which is the most impor tant part of improving Gujarat’s health sector,” he said.

Among other “dis eases” that afflicted Gu jarat were misgovernance in education, lack of elec tricity and water, malad ministration and poor law and order situation, said Modi.

“At the root of all these diseases was the big gest disease -- the politics of vote bank,” the prime minister added.

Talking about his call of ‘One Earth, One Health’ at a G20 sum mit during the pandem ic, Modi said in some countries people received four-five doses of anticoronavirus vaccines, and then there were countries where the poor did not receive even a single dose.

“I was pained, and then India undertook the mission of supplying vac cines to the world,” the prime minister said.

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): The Election Com mission on Tuesday allotted ‘two swords and a shield’ as the poll symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena.

The Shinde faction, which is now named as ‘Bal asahebanchi Shiv Sena’, will be able to use the symbol for the Andheri East assembly bypoll, should it decide to contest the election sched uled for November 3.

In a letter to Maharash tra CM Shinde, the Com mission said it has decided

to declare ‘Do Talwarein aur Ek Dhal (Two Swords & Shield)’ to be a free symbol and allot it to the candidate set up, if any, by the Shindeled group in the current byeelection. The Shinde faction had suggested ‘peepal tree’, ‘sword and shield’, and ‘sun’ as its choice of poll symbols.

THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT AT GUWAHATI

KOHIMA BENCH

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Workers of ‘ShivSena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’, hold a flaming torch .

EC allots ‘two swords & a shield’ to Shinde faction of Shiv Sena

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu pays his last respects to Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Saifai, Tuesday. (PTI)

PM Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rides a battery operated vehicle during dedication of ‘ Shri Mahakal Lok’ corridor Tuesday. (PTI)

Dangerous Russian roulette

Inretaliation for the attack on the Kerch bridge connecting the Russian mainland with Russianannexed Crimea, Russian dictator Putin has targeted civilians in Ukraine, especially at Kyiv the capital city. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a series of missile strikes across Ukraine in the last 48 hours in retaliation for an attack on the strategically important Kerch bridge into Crimea over the weekend. Shockingly Putin justified the deliberate attacks on civilians across Ukraine as a justified response to Saturday’s at tack on the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea. Putin had believed that superior Russian technol ogy combined with an army that outnumbered the Ukrainians by 5-1 will ensure that his army could roll over Ukraine within a few days. However Pu tin was proved horribly wrong as the Ukrainians not only withstood the continuous shelling and missile attacks for months but overwhelmed the mighty Russian army. Today, the Russian army is in disarray and retreating faster then they initially advanced. The attack on the Kerch bridge was a big blow to Putin and it has only led him to do what his army has been doing during the past 8 months of failed invasion of Ukraine. Putin’s mis adventure in Ukraine with his overreliance and overconfidence on superior Russian military tech nology has in fact proved that technology is no match for human intelligence, remarkable combat adaptability, ability to read the minds of the enemy and a do-or-die attitude no matter how difficult the situation is to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Ukraine has proved to the world that hu man ability is superior to technology. Putin has predictability warned of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine if his battered army is thrown out of the Russian-annexed Ukraine territories. The world is spinning differently on its axis, as Putin, a megalomaniac has no compunction to destroy or kill those he considers as a threat on his hold to power. He has been targeting not only Ukrai nian civilians but children’s schools, theatres, public places and hospitals. The Russian army has committed horrific crimes on Ukrainians and hundreds of unmarked graves and dead bodies found by Ukrainian forces were documented by international rights groups. The west has vowed to try Putin for war crimes but he is unrepentant and instead chooses to play the victim card and ordered the Russian army to kill everyone stand ing in their way. Putin has often been described as a thug who has ordered the killing of his politi cal foes and critics to prison. He has also been described manipulative, deceptive, cold-blooded and dangerous. The west has watched helplessly as Putin launched indiscriminate missile attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages in response to the humiliation suffered by his army on the battlefields at the hands of the Ukrainians. Many in the West wonder how long will the world continue watch with impotent rage, as Putin goes on a murderous spree against a free and independent Ukraine whose only wrong had been to refuse signing a pact under Russia. Putin’s threat of using nuclear weapons in case Russia’s existence was threat ened is a cruel joke because he is a threat to the existence of Ukraine and the free world. A nuclear war is hanging like Damocles’ sword and Putin chooses to ignore that he is the culprit who is pushing the world into brinkmanship.

DailyDevotion God’s Silence— Then What?

When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. —John 11:6 Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute si lence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).

A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His still ness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.

Post-mortem

Destruction Caused By Climate Change

Various reports high light the fact that

Climate Change has been caused by the rich nations and thus poor countries have started de manding compensation for the climate changes, which have adversely impacted them.

The forthcoming COP27, UN climate talks due to be held in Egypt in November, may highlight the compensation system for poorer countries known as “loss and damage”, caused by the Climate Change.

It is a fact, corrobo rated by various UN and independent reports that Climate Change over the last 25 years particularly has caused costly damages, including drought, rising heat, less or more rains, tropical cyclones and more gradual changes, such as desertification and rising sea levels across the globe.

It has been proven that these changes could be attributed to the pres ence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The rich industrialised countries are responsible for most of the emissions causing these phenomena.

Loss and Damage

The poorer countries, as they are unable to take timely corrective measures to mitigate these changes caused by others in the past, face the negative af

fects of Climate Change first. Thus, the new concept of “Loss and Damages” has started taking roots amongst them.

Under this new con cept they are demanding adequate financial help to take corrective measures to mitigate these changes, caused by the richer, in dustrialised nations, in the past. Now they are redefin ing it as a matter of liability and compensation, rather than aid after a particular natural disaster.

Loss and damage is also referred to as the “third pillar” of climate change politics, after mitigation (tackling the root cause of the problem by reducing emissions) and adaptation (preparing for current and future impacts).

However, developed countries have pushed back against this since 1990s when the text of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was being drawn up, terming it completely implausible.

Meanwhile, a group of island countries had pro posed that an international insurance fund be created to compensate low-lying countries for the damage caused by rising sea levels.

The Economist maga zine reports that in 2015, at the talks, which culminated in the adoption of the Paris Agreement, developing countries again sought a

strong clause on loss and damage financing. But they ended up with only a vague reference to the issue. And concrete action was left for future discussions, thus the Egypt Summit offers a chance again to hammer out a concrete policy and action plan on the issue.

Positive actions

Denmark has recently pledged just over $13m to developing countries that have suffered damage from climate change and more developed countries may follow suit.

Scotland’s first min ister, Nicola Sturgeon, at COP26 in Glasgow last November, promised £2m ($2.7m) as a one-off loss and damage payment, ap parently hoping that other rich countries might follow suit, however, they did not.

But the pressure for them to do so is increasing. Last month ministers from an alliance known as the “Least Developed Coun tries Alliance - LDCA” having 46 members, called the creation of a financial mechanism for loss and damage a “fundamental priority” for COP27. At the UNGA last month, secretary-general António Guterres suggested that windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies might provide the funding for one.

But is easier said that done and may not happen at all. There is an utter

lack of enthusiasm among the developed countries for such a pay out. Some developing countries are tentatively seeking redress through international law.

On September 22nd the UN Human Rights Committee ordered the Australian government to pay compensation to indig enous people living on the islands of the Torres Strait, which are being eroded by rising seas. Perhaps it is for the first time that such a payment has been ordered. The Australian government seemed sym pathetic to the islanders’ plight. But whether it will translate into hard cash - let alone a costly acceptance of liability - remains to be seen. Hence, a global framework for loss and damage still looks like a distant prospect.

Disasters in the de veloped world

Meanwhile, the devel oped world is also not safe from the Climate Change vagaries. Natural disasters such as Hurricane Ian, which recently left behind a trail of damages running in billions of dollars, are on the rise in the United States.

Hurricane Ian, which battered parts of Florida and South Carolina, is estimated to be the lat est in a growing trend of billion-dollar disasters in the United States.

As compared to be tween 1980 and 2021, when the average of such events happening was 7.7, the past five years have witnessed an increase to 17.8 of such events per year. Last year marked the seventh consecutive year in which ten or more billiondollar disasters pummelled the U.S. By July of this year there had already been nine such disasters.

It has been reported that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in May 2022, reached a level that has not been seen in millions of years, and that is over 50 percent higher than in the preindustrial era. The heat trapped by carbon dioxide and other human-produced greenhouse gases has in creased the world’s average temperature.

Climate change is “su percharging the increasing frequency and intensity” of weather extremes, accord ing to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It spawns greater rainfall variability, lengthens the wildfire sea son in the American West, increases drought vulner ability, and drives bigger storm surges as sea levels rise. Given the relentless ac cumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, 2022 is likely the harbinger of a more violent weather in future.

To reduce such natural mishaps happening again and again, both developed and developing nations need to adopt practices, which rapidly reduce and remove heat-trapping emis sions from the atmosphere to limit warming extremes.

In addition, they’ll have to look towards green er sources of energy in stead of fossil fuels, which have contributed to a large extent to green gas emis sions.

But at the same time, they’ll also have to adopt and put into practice poli cies, which mitigate the damages in the poorer countries, instead of just offering one time aid to ease off their burden.

The forthcoming Egypt Summit should strive to find a new fea sible approach to coun ter the Climate Change disasters, instead of just hollow promises and no real ground work, as has happened at previous COP conferences.

Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi.

He was also associated with BBC Urdu Service and Khaleej Times of Dubai.

He writes on Indian Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs.

Why Myanmar military junta will never be able to deal with both internal and external pressure? Permanent Capital: Answer to India’s $10 Trillion Economy

Myanmar military junta will never able to deal with both internal and external pressure for vari ous reasons. Thus, we can assume that this brutal military must be dismantled as soon as possible. The world leaders have no clue that they are dealing with intolerably dumb, uneducated, and cruel soldiers of this “private army”, led by power-crazed generals. Today, thugs fear the wrath of the people. The only thing that the Myanmar military know and understand is violence. What world actors have to do is to simply invade Myanmar, dismantle the Tatmadaw and send all its generals to the Hague as war criminals. Thus, the world leaders must realize that they must intervene (invade) in Myanmar to dismantle this barbaric, uncivilized army. Myanmar army is a destabilizer of world peace. There must haven’t compromise in this regard.

Geographically, Myanmar’s loca tion is strategically important. After gaining independence from the British in 1948, the country suffered from long military rule. Myanmar has a long his tory of conflict between the military and the government with various regional ethnic groups, but has become more widespread in recent times. The military coup has plunged the country into a crisis with strained ethnic relations and a resurgence of civil war. According to geopolitical analysts, Myanmar’s gov ernance is essentially divided into three entities. The first is the State Administra tion Council (SAC) or the body of top officials engaged in the governance of the country, the second is the body of senior military officers and finally the Cabinet. However, Min Aung Hlaing, as the head of the armed forces and the leader of the coup, overshadowed these entities and gradually axed power. By is suing martial law, the state has absolute power. The military junta is using torture and killing as a weapon to suppress any dissent against the government follow ing the policy of autocracy. It has also enacted a series of draconian laws to consolidate its grip on power, threatening the legal protections and fundamental rights of the Myanmar people. In addi tion, internet access is limited and online newspapers and social media platforms are blocked. Recently, a new law has been issued there, where liking or sharing an anti-government post on social media is punishable by imprisonment.

Distressed economy

In February last year, Myanmar’s military government declared a state of emergency for the first time since taking power. In August, the state of emergency was extended for another six months.

The junta’s main priority is to stay in power at any cost. As a result, the country’s economy is now in a state of crisis, and the people have to pay the price. After the imposition of military

rule in the post-coup period, the country was subjected to a Western economic em bargo. Foreign aid and investment were suspended. As a result, the country’s reserves have been decreasing since last April. Due to the internal crisis and the war in Ukraine, the prices of everyday products are increasing. On the other hand, many people are not paying elec tricity bills, and no one is paying taxes as part of the non-violent movement supported by the NLD government. The government’s revenue collection has fallen to the bottom. The country’s economy has shrunk by nearly 20 percent in the past year. According to a report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) last January, by the end of 2021, half of the country’s popu lation or about two and a half million people are below the poverty line, 1.6 million people or about eight percent of the total workforce have lost their jobs, and about 1.3 million people are at risk of food insecurity. On the other hand, in view of the global and domestic crisis, the value of the Kyat, the currency of Myanmar, continues to fall against the dollar. On February 1, 2021, one dollar was available at 1,395 kyats, which has now increased by more than 40 percent to 2,113 kyats. According to the Brit ish magazine Economist, the country’s central bank decided to sell 10 percent of its reserves to prevent the fall of the kyat. In this situation, the military junta is trying to retain reserves by imposing currency controls and import bans. As a result, people are deprived of essential services like medicines.

Declining power of the junta Myanmar’s military junta is now facing fierce resistance from various ethnic minorities. Moreover, a shadow government called National Unity Government (NUG) was formed to counter the government. The shadow government has already appealed to the international community for support, to which the United States, the European Union and ASEAN member states have responded. The NUG also formed a guerrilla force called the People’s De fense Force (PDF), which was formed to counter the military’s brutal crackdown on protesters.

As a result, the government has to fight against various ethnic groups in the border provinces, while on the other hand, it has to face pro-democracy PDF forces in various provinces inside the country. Because of this, the government is facing deep problems in establishing political control in Myanmar.

On the other hand, the military junta is diplomatically losing acceptance with the rest of the world due to authori tarian tactics and brutal repression. As a result, they were almost defeated on three fronts – diplomatic, political and military.

Ethnic armed insurgent groups operating in Myanmar have become stronger than before. They are now hav ing a lot of success in fighting against the army and the area they control is also increasing. Armed groups from different ethnic groups have stepped up cooperation among themselves to overthrow the junta. News website The Irrawaddy reported that members of Myanmar’s top seven-armed ethnic groups met in September in Pangsang, Wa state, amid rising violence. At the same time, the anti-military Myanmar people are fighting against the govern ment by joining the activities of various insurgents and armed groups.

According to a statement by Myan mar’s Special Advisory Council, only 72 of the country’s 330 townships are now under the junta’s control; As a percent age that is only 17 percent of the total land area; 52 percent is under NUG and various ethnic groups and no party has absolute control over the rest of the region. Moreover, the Myanmar army is in a very tight position in Rakhine. More than two-thirds of Rakhine State’s land area is now under the control of the Arakan Army. According to the NUG statement, more than 20,150 soldiers of the army were killed in the clashes from September 7, 2021 to September 2022. Myanmar’s military is dominated by the Bama ethnic group. But the recent military operation in Bama-dominated areas has created anti-junta sentiment among them. More than 2,000 soldiers and 5,000 police officers have defected since the coup, according to the People’s Embrace group. Along with the loss of lives and troops, the army also lost control of several military outposts. In the last 17 months, Myanmar’s military junta has lost control of about 90 mili tary posts to armed groups from various ethnic groups in the country.

After the military coup in 2021, people from all walks of life in Myanmar participated peacefully in the anti-junta movement. But due to the retaliatory bru tal repression by the Min Aung Hlaing administration, the peaceful movement turned into armed resistance, which continues to this day.

The conflict is escalating. Added to this is the country’s economic crisis and insurgency by ethnic armed groups in border areas. All in all, an anarchic situation prevails across the country. As the days go by, along with the overall situation in Myanmar, the position of the junta is also weakening. In this situa tion, the intervention of the international community is necessary to restore peace in Myanmar.

Tilottama Rani Charulata is an independent researcher. She is interested in the Bangladesh and Rohingya refugee affairs. She is currently living in Canada

The development and expansion of Indian enterprises, especially in terms of improv ing capital use efficiency, can benefit from understanding global trends in money manage ment and business efficiency.

The one trend that has been in focus through out the asset management industry, especially the private equity world, is “permanent capital”. This is broadly defined as access to funds for long periods instead of the usual seven to tenyear fund horizon that has been the norm in the private equity industry. Permanent capital funds focus less on exiting investments in a defined period - and the emphasis is more on generating potential long-run investment returns.

Investors have generated permanent capital through a variety of strategies.

So how will Permanent Capital help India in the next decade?

The success of nations/economies depends on access to high-quality growth and low-cost capital. While India will enjoy high growth due to favourable demographic and economic factors, access to the low cost of capital will be critical. As the world heads toward high inflation and high-interest rates, the ability to make India an attractive destination for global capital is a must. The Indian government has been making a huge push in this direction. With Permanent Capital, India will have the advantage of accessing global investments while generating long-term returns for investors. - Permanent capital allows prioritis ing value and steady long-term returns over risky one-time buyouts that may be adversely impacted by unpredictable market cycles.

- With higher degree of permanent capital, it will allow Indian businesses and investors to access opportunities for longer periods, ride out periods of high market volatility and, most im portantly, acquire assets at attractive valuations when rivals cannot do so due to unfavourable market conditions or internal distress.

- With permanent capital, Indian companies can pursue essential high-growth-high-return projects that may yield significant investment returns in the future.

- For investors looking toward emerging markets such as India, PCVs are essential, espe cially in the context of relatively lesser secondary market liquidity, longer investment horizons for value generation and smaller size of debt capital markets.

- Most importantly, stable cash flows via permanent capital can help shield India from adverse market conditions and businesses from the adverse funding conditions and assist a company in acquiring valuable assets across the industry.

As the capital markets and businesses in India evolve, winners and losers in highly competi tive markets will be determined by various factors, including sources of funds. Both the quality and quantity of funding available will be one of the fundamental factors determining long-term win ners. Permanency of capital offers some essential insights into improving one’s competitiveness.

(The views expressed in this article are personal and that of the authors. Poornima Vardhan and Taponeel Mukherjee)

One month of Bharat Jodo: Congress sheds inertia

HIRIYUR/SIDDAPURA (K’TAKA), OCT 11 (PTI):

One month into the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress is looking at some visible gains, with the party don ning a revived, aggressive look.

Currently in power on its own in just two states -- Chhattisgarh and Raj asthan -- the Congress has embarked on the marathon 3,570 km journey eyeing po litical and electoral revival, riding on the enthusiasm of former party president Rahul Gandhi.

Party leaders are up beat as the yatra has entered its 34th day. They list three clear positive outcomes – an activated Congress which has hit the ground running leaving the past inertia be hind, an interactive top brass which is directly engaging the people, and a mobilised organisation which was dor mant for many years.

AICC general secre tary Jairam Ramesh, one of the key drivers of the exercise, sees the yatra as a psychological boost for the party. “I think what the yatra has done is show to the Con

gress party that we can do it. We are on the roads, on the streets, we are fighting the BJP. We are taking the battle to their camps. We are rais ing fundamental issues. We are not reactive. In fact, now the BJP is reacting to us and that I think is the greatest contribution of the yatra. It is psychological rather than electoral,” Ramesh said.

He expressed confi dence that the gains would consolidate as 117 Bharat Yatris traverse the entire 12-state route. Congress

strategists claim that the principal aim is to connect with the masses and raise their issues, as decided at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir where both Congress presi dent Sonia Gandhi and Ra hul Gandhi acknowledged that the party was discon nected from the ground.

Leaders say Rahul Gandhi has met more than 550 people individually while walking during the yatra, and interacted with several pressure groups with specific concerns. “This is

for the first time in many years that the Congress is being discussed in remote areas, villages, and people are in awe of the fact that Rahul Gandhi is walking all the way,” former Mad hya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh, who heads the yatra organising com mittee, said.

In many ways, the yatra is shaping up as the former Congress president’s personal image building exercise, with senior party leaders repeatedly claiming that India will see a new Rahul Gandhi after the journey.

The party’s social media department has been careful to project the affec tionate side of their leader -- tying his mother’s shoe laces, playing with children, hugging an elderly woman, and so on. The idea is to fight the BJP’s narrative of “Rahul Gandhi being a re luctant leader and a tourist politician who takes many holidays”.

“This is a transforma tional moment for Rahul Gandhi. His endurance and clarity of thought are emerging in the yatra,” said

Jairam Ramesh, adding that the yatra has seen three im promptu press conferences by the Congress scion, who has taken two clear ideologi cal lines. One, he has said the Congress does not dif ferentiate between minority and majority communalism and will fight both. Two, he has clarified that the Con gress is against monopolies and not industrialists.

These positions bring some clarity to the party’s otherwise hazy lines on secularism and economics, and could be significant in the wake of the party align ing with radical forces in the last Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala.

The Congress drew a blank in Bengal, while in Kerala, the Left Democratic Front stormed to power bucking anti-incumbency trends in a record win.

Apart from clear ideo logical positioning, the yatra is aiding the Congress to cre ate an electoral impact in the states it is touching.

In BJP-ruled Karna taka, the party views public response as “phenomenal”.

“The response we got

in Tamil Nadu and Kerala was expected but the peo ple’s support in Karnataka has been tremendous,” an AICC office-bearer said.

“The party has crossed the JDS and BJP strong holds in Karnataka and has generated a buzz with hopes of similar resonance in YS RCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh and TRS-ruled Telangana,” he added.

Karnataka Congress leaders, however, feel the yatra should have covered more Assembly segments rather than just the 20 con stituencies it will enter and the 50 it will touch out of the 224 constituencies.

The Congress has 70 MLAs in the state after 14 left the party in the recent past.

Party general secre tary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said three more yatras would be held across the state starting next month.

“The ongoing yatra has activated the party cadre in every assembly segment and has unified the state leader ship due to the bonhomie created by it,” Surjewala told PTI.

Bommai panic stricken over response to BJY in K’taka: Cong

CHITRADURGA (K’TAKA), OCT 11 (PTI): The Congress hit out at the BJP on Tues day, saying Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is panic stricken over the response that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting in his state and accused him of running a “corrupt” and “incompetent” govern ment.

Congress in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said Bommai should stop befooling peo ple and posed a set of 10 questions to him, asking why has he not taken ac tion in corruption cases.

The remarks came as Bommai and BJP strong man B S Yediyurappa started their Jana Sankalpa Yatra on Tuesday.

“Panic stricken by the sea of people marching in BharatJodoYatra, CM Bommai-Yediyurappa be gin their ‘Plane-Helicopter’ Yatra today.

“First, People of Karnataka want answers -- Was BSY removed as CM on charges of cor

ruption? Has a corruption FIR lodged against him now by Lokayukta? Isn’t BJP government known Nationwide as ‘40Percent Sarkara’?” Surjewala asked on Twitter.

“Isn’t #PayCM the buzzword on everyone’s mouth? Why have you not taken action on 40% commission complaint of ‘contractors’ association’? Why have you not acted on the 40% commission complaint of 13,000 Pri vate Schools Association?” he asked.

The Congress leader also asked why has even Matta’s Swamiji accused the Bommai government of 40-per cent commis sion and why Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs themselves are accusing the government as “most corrupt”.

“Why are your own MLAs saying even CM post is on sale for ?2,500 crores? Haven’t your own ministers saying that there is no government in Karna taka and you are just pass ing time?” Surjewala asked.

THIRUVANANTHA

PURAM, OCT 11 (IANS):

Jodo Yatra, and said the foot march has no impact.

“The world knows, it is ‘jodoing’ (uniting) whom and ‘thodoing’ (dividing) whom. It has no impor tance. We are not worried, we are doing our sankalpa (resolution) yatra to win the election by informing people about our programmes. There is no connection with it (BJP’s tour with Congress’ yatra),” he added.

In a suspected case of hu man sacrifice, two women were found murdered and buried by a couple in Thiru valla in Kerala’s Pathana mthitta district, the police said on Tuesday. They were earlier reported to be miss ing.

The couple, identified as Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila, used to run a massage centre near Aran mula in Pathanamthitta district at their house.

BENGALURU, OCT 11 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa will kickstart the party’s election tour in the state from Raichur on Tuesday, in the run-up to assembly polls next year.

The duo are scheduled to cover 52 Assembly seg ments till December 25, as part of the ‘Jana Sankalpa Yatra’. The ruling party’s tour begins at the time when Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is pass ing through the state.

“The intention of the Jana Sankalpa Yatra is to in form the programmes, work and policies of BJP govern ment in the state and at the Centre, and also send a mes

CBI charge sheet against A Raja in 2007 assets case

NEW DELHI, OCT 11

(AGENCIES): The Cen tral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against former telecom min ister A Raja in a dispro portionate assets case. Of ficials alleged that Raja had amassed disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 5.53 crore during his tenure as a union minister.

Officials claimed that a commission was allegedly received by the minister (ap proximately Rs 4.5 crore) in the form of land purchased by a company close to Raja. The commission was given by DLF to Kovai Shelters, a company said to be close to A Raja, said sources.

In the charge sheet filed in August 2022, the CBI alleged that the com pany had not undertaken any other real estate activity other than the purported land deal for the real estate firm.

The agency further al leged th at Raja had gar nered assets worth Rs 5.53 crore, including the pay ment of Rs 4.56 crore to the company in which Raja’s close relatives were direc tors.

Raja received the com mission when he was the en vironment minister in 2007.

sage to BJP office-bearers and workers to prepare for elections with a resolve to bring BJP back to power in the state,” Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here ahead of leaving for Raichur, he said, “There is enthusiasm everywhere. Through the Jana Sankalpa Yatra, we hope to gain the confidence of the people and to be victorious in the 2023 assembly polls.”

According to the Chief Minister, during the tour, he will be interacting with ben eficiaries of various schemes and visit certain places as planned by the local party functionaries. Responding to a question, Bommai said he and his party are not wor ried about Congress’ Bharat

Incidentally, BJP’s tour begins from Raichur Rural assembly segment, an ST reserve seat that has a huge presence of the Valmiki community. The state gov ernment had last week de cided to to hike the reserva tion quota for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The ‘Valmiki Gurupeetha’ seer Prasan nananda Swami has been on a hunger strike demanding the ST quota hike.

Bommai and Yediy urappa will be touring pre dominantly in the ‘Kalyana Karnataka’ region.

Of the 52 seats which they will be touring, 20 constituencies are currently represented by Congress MLAs and four by JD(S).

Kochi Police Commis sioner C.H. Nagaraju con firmed that the two women were killed and buried by the couple. “This was done as part of a ritualistic hu man sacrifice. The couple was taken into custody on the statement of one Shihab and all the three are now being taken to the house of the couple. The man is a ‘vadiyar’ (traditional physi cian) and this is a very com plicated case and there are several layers in the case.”

“The body of the wom an who disappeared last month will be exhumed and will be sent to forensic experts. The motive of the crime has been confessed as human sacrifice and we confirmed it from the state

ment given by the couple which was done for financial betterment,” said Nagaraju.

According to reports that have emerged, Shihab alias Mohammed Shafi has been identified as the mas termind behind the murders of the two women.

He first created a fake social media account in the name of Sreedevi and became friendly with the couple, Bhagaval and Laila.

He convinced the cou ple that there is a person named Rashid, who has superpowers and if they please him, they will flour ish financially.

Later, Shihab for the first time meets the couple and identifies himself as Rashid and they become friendly. The idea of a hu man sacrifice is discussed for which he and Laila should have sex in front of Singh.

S hihab says he will

come back with a woman for the human sacrifice and in August arrived with a woman, who has now been identified as Rosalyn.

Later, he came with Rosalyn to the couple’s house under the pretext that

she will be paid Rs 10 lakh if she acts in a soft porn film.

Rosalyn was then asked to lie on a bed and as part of the film shooting, the accused trio tied her up on the bed. Soon, Singh came with a hammer and smashed her head.

Singh’s wife Laila us ing a sword slashed Rosa lyn’s neck and used a knife to stab her private parts and that blood was sprayed around the house.

Later, Rosalyn’s body was buried in the couple’s house. The couple finds that despite engaging in the hu man sacrifice, they find no

change in their financial or economic status and called up Shihab.

Bommai and Yediyurappa to begin statewide tour ahead of K’taka polls 2 women killed in suspected case of human sacrifice in Kerala

Shihab said some bad omen has fallen upon the couple. Therefore, to come out of it, one more human sacrifice has to be conducted and soon he will bring an other woman.

As planned, Shihab brought another woman, who was identified as Pad mam from Tamil Nadu after which the human sacrifice was conducted.

Earlier, the Kochi Po lice Commissioner had said that this case was not nor mal.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Chitradurga, Karnataka. (PTI)

Bommai & Yediyurappa

Rosilyn and Padma; culprit Bhagaval Singh

IMF cuts India’s GDP forecast to 6.8%

NEW DELHI, OCT 10

Nissan sells Russian

TOKYO, OCT 11 (AGEN

(AGENCIES):

The Inter national Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 6.8% for 2022.

This is a steep cut in comparison to its previous forecast of 7.4%, that it had given out in July.

In its latest annual World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday, the IMF said outlook has been slashed reflecting a weaker-than-expected out turn in the second quarter and more subdued external demand.

For the next year 2023, India has been projected to grow at 6.1%.

Last week, the World Bank also downgraded In dia’s growth forecast to 6.5% for fiscal year 202223, a drop of 1% from its previous June 2022 projec tion. It cited deteriorating international environment as the reason behind the cut in GDP.

However, World Bank

chief economist of South Asia Hans Timmer had also said that India has done relatively well compared to other countries in South Asia.

“India is doing better than the rest of the world. There are more buffers in India, especially large re serves at the central bank. That’s very helpful,” he had said.

Timmer had also praised the government of India for very actively react ing to the Covid crisis.

The projections of both IMF and World Bank are, however, lower than the Reserve Bank of In dia’s (RBI) forecast of 7.2% GDP growth in FY23.

Announcing the 3rd monetary policy of FY23 on September 30, RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) retained its GDP growth forecast at 7.2% for the current fiscal year. But, it did caution against nega tive spillovers of geopo litical tensions and a slow down in global economy.

Decisions on crucial matters... Nitish slams Centre for delay in solution

(From p-1) He also said it was viewed that prohibition had a negative impact on tourism and also on state revenue.

According to Alam, the review committee’s report will be discussed by the cabinet which will decide on whether to lift or not to lift prohibition.

He also said the fast growing threat from ad diction to “Sunflower drugs” in the north east was also discussed at the recently held NEC meet ing at Guwahati.

He said a review meeting on drug traf ficking will be chaired by deputy chief minister and that anti-drug operations will be intensified in all districts.

Medical college: The state government has written to the ministry

of health with proposal to make Nagaland Insti tute of Medical Sciences Research (NIMSR) at Kohima (erstwhile Na galand Medical College) to the level of All India Institute of Medical Sci ences (AIIMS) but so far no response was received, the chief secretary said.

The NIMSR is yet to be functional but has suffered a setback as Prof. Dr. Soumya Chakraborty who was appointed in September 2022 as the director-cum-Dean has not been released by the parent institute.

ULB: Alam said Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls would be held after electoral rolls are completed by No vember 24,2022 but that ULB polls will not clash with scheduled assembly election.

(From p-1)

Meanwhile, a tribute to JP Narayan was shared by JDU Nagaland president NSN Senchumo Lotha. In his brief address, Senchumo reminded all about the sacrifice made by JP Narayan, who came all the way from Bihar and to work for the Nagas.

Short speech was deliv ered by Bihar Minister water resources, Sanjay Jha and presi dential address was delivered by National president MP and leader of LS Rajiv Ranjan (La lan) Singh.

Several hundreds from the Bihari community including Nagas attended the programme.

It may be recalled that ahead of Nitish Kumar’s arriv al, the JDU leaders from Bihar–three members of parliament, two ministers and one ex-MP, arrived Nagaland on October 9.

RBI retains FY23 GDP forecast at 7.2%; cau tions against negative global spillovers

‘Theworstisyettocome’

IANS: The Interna tional Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted a tough 2023 as it cut growth predictions and forecast economic contraction in a third of the world, media reports said.

“The worst is yet to come”, the global financial institution’s World Eco nomic Outlook report said, Sky News reported.

“For many people, 2023 will feel like a reces sion”, it said.

A downward revision of the global growth rate for 2023, from the amount the IMF said it expected in July, has been made in the report, Sky News reported.

Now, 2.7 per cent growth is expected next year. It’s down from the 6 per cent growth experi enced last year and the 3.2

per cent growth forecast for this year.

This is the “weakest growth profile” since 2001, excluding the acute phase of Covid-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis, the IMF said, Sky News reported.

It reflects “significant slowdowns” for the largest economies as America’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in the first half of 2022, followed by the Euro area’s contrac tion in the second half of 2022, and prolonged Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns in China with a growing property sector crisis.

“The world is in a volatile period: economic, geopolitical, and ecologi cal changes all impact the global outlook,” the report says. About a third of the world economy faces two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the IMF also forecast, Sky News reported.

Markets take heavy beating on negative global trends

MUMBAI, OCT 11 (PTI):

Equity benchmark indices fell sharply on Tuesday, with the Sensex tumbling nearly 844 points, in line with weak global market trends and foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share BSE benchmark slumped 843.79 points or 1.46% to settle at 57,147.32. During the day, it tanked 940.71 points or 1.62% to 57,050.40.

The broader NSE Nifty fell 257.45 points or 1.49% to end at 16,983.55.

In the 30-share Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank, Nestle India, Tata Steel, Tech Ma hindra, Infosys, Dr Reddy’s, Titan and Reliance Indus tries were the major lag gards.

On the other hand, Axis Bank and Asian Paints mustered gains. Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul,

Tokyo and Hong Kong end ed lower, while Shanghai settled in the green.

Stock exchanges in Eu rope were trading in the neg ative territory in mid-session deals. The US markets had ended lower on Monday.

“Investors are becom ing risk-averse due to ris ing geopolitical turmoil as well as worries about the global economic slump. Investors’ caution ahead of the announcement of inflation data prevented a better-than-expected start to IT earnings from improving market mood,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

However, as compared to global counterparts, do mestic selling is not as ag gressive since FII selling is primarily absorbed by DIIs, Nair added.

CIES): Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) will hand over its business in Russia to a state-owned entity for 1 euro ($0.97), it said on Tuesday, taking a loss of around $687 million in the latest costly exit from the country by a global com pany, reports Reuters.

The Japanese auto maker transfer its shares in Nissan Manufacturing Russia LLC to state-owned NAMI, it said. The deal will give Nissan the right to buy back the business within six years, Russia’s industry and trade ministry said.

The deal makes Nissan the latest major company to leave Russia since Mos cow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February. It also mirrors a move by Nissan’s top share holder, French automaker Renault (RENA.PA), which sold its majority stake in Russian carmaker Avtovaz (AVAZI_p.MM) to a Rus sian investor in May.

The sale to NAMI will include Nissan’s production

and research facilities in St Petersburg as well as its sales and marketing centre in Moscow, the ministry said.

Nissan said it expect ed an extraordinary loss of around 100 billion yen ($687 million), but main tained its earnings forecast for the financial year ending in March.

Renault, which owns 43% of Nissan, estimated the decision by its Japanese partner would lead to a 331 million euro hit to its net income for the second half of 2022.

Nissan had suspended production at its St. Peters burg plant in March due to supply chain disruptions. Since then, the company and its local unit had been monitoring the situation, it said. But there was “no visibility” of a change to the external environment, Nissan said, prompting it to decide to exit.

Junior alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) is also considering exiting Russia, the Nikkei newspaper said. A spokes person for Mitsubishi said nothing had been decided.

Railways’ passenger revenue in April-Oct 8 period up by 92% compared to last year

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): The railways’ pas senger revenue in the period between April 1 and October 8 was around Rs 33,476 crore, an increase of 92% over the corresponding pe riod last year, the national transporter said in a state ment on Tuesday.

The Indian Railways’ passenger revenue on origi nating basis during the April 1-October 8 period last year was Rs 17,394 crore.

In the reserved pas senger segment, the total approximate number of passengers booked during the period is Rs 42.89 crore as compared to 34.56 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 24%, it said.

The revenue generated

from reserved passenger segment during the period from April 1 to October 8, 2022 is Rs 26,961 crore as compared to Rs 16,307 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 65%. In the unreserved passenger segment, the total approximate number of pas sengers booked during the period is Rs 268.56 crore as compared to Rs 90.57 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 197%.

The revenue generated

from unreserved passenger segment during the period from April 1 to October 8, 2022 is Rs 6,515 crore as compared to Rs 1,086 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 500%, the statement said.

LaNd

PRIME LAND FOR

A view shows an automobile assembly plant of the Japanese carmaker Nissan in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Russian drones, missiles strike on Ukraine

KYIV, OCT 11 (AP): Rus sian forces strafed Ukraine with a fresh barrage of mis siles and munition-carrying drones Tuesday, a day after widespread strikes killed at least 19 people in what the UN human rights office described as a “particularly shocking” attack that could amount to war crimes.

Air raid warnings ex tended throughout the coun try in the morning, sending some residents back into shelters after months of relative calm in Kyiv and many other cities.

The earlier lull had led many Ukrainians to ignore the regular sirens, but Monday’s attacks in the capital and 12 other regions gave them new urgency.

“It brings anger, not fear,” Kyiv resident Volody myr Vasylenko, 67, said as crews worked to restore traffic lights and clear debris from the city’s streets.

“We already got used to this. And we will keep fighting.” The Russian bom bardment Tuesday struck both power plants and civil ian areas, just as they did Monday.

NATO to hold nuclear exercise despite tensions

BRUSSELS, OCT 11 (AP):

NATO will push ahead with long-planned nuclear exercises next week despite rising tensions over the war in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that he is not bluffing about using all available means to defend Russian territory, NATO Secy-Gen Jens Stol tenberg said Tuesday. The exercise, dubbed “Steadfast Noon,” is held annually and usually runs for a week.

It involves fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but does not in volve any live bombs. Con ventional jets, and surveil lance and refuelling aircraft also routinely take part.

14 of the 30 NATO member countries will be in volved in the exercise, which was planned before Russia invaded Ukraine in Febru ary. The main part of the maneuvers would be held more than 1,000 kilometers from Russia, a NATO of ficial said. “It would send a very wrong signal if we suddenly now cancelled a routine, long-time planned exercise because of the war in Ukraine. That would be absolutely the wrong signal to send,” Stoltenberg told reporters.

One person was killed when 12 missiles slammed into public facilities in the southern city of Zapor izhzhia, setting off a large fire, the State Emergency Service said. A local official said the missiles hit a school, residential buildings and medical facilities.

Energy facilities in the western Lviv and Vinnitsya regions also took hits.

Although officials said Ukrainian forces shot down an inbound Russian missile before it reached Kyiv, the capital region experienced rolling power outages as a result of the previous day’s

deadly strikes. The governor of the Mykolaiv region, Vi taliy Kim, urged residents to remain in bomb shelters as “there are enough missiles still in the air.”

The State Emergency Service said 19 people died and 105 people were wound ed in Monday’s strikes.

At least five of the vic tims were in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. More than 300 cities and towns lost power, from the capital to Lviv on the border with Poland. Beside the usual sirens, a new type of loud alarm that blared automati cally from mobile phones

jolted Kyiv residents early Tuesday. A text message warning of the possibility of missile strikes accompanied the caustic-sounding alert.

Russia’s widespread attacks came in retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a bridge link ing Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. A spokesperson for the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday that strikes on “civilian objects,” including infrastructure such as power plants, could qualify as a war crime.

“Damage to key power stations and lines ahead of the upcoming winter raises further concerns for the protection of civilians and in particular the impact on vulnerable populations,” Ravina Shamdasani told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. “Attacks target ing civilians and objects indispensable to the survival of civilians are prohibited under international humani tarian law.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was

Israel announces sea deal with Lebanon

JERUSALEM, OCT 11

(AP): Israel’s prime minister said Tuesday that the coun try has reached a “historic agreement” with neigh bouring Lebanon over their shared maritime border after months of U.S.-brokered negotiations.

The agreement would mark a major breakthrough in relations with the two countries, which formally have been at war since Is rael’s establishment in 1948.

But the deal still faces some obstacles, including key legal and political chal lenges in Israel. There was no immediate confirmation by Lebanon that a deal had been reached.

At stake are rights over exploiting undersea natural gas reserves in areas of the eastern Mediterranean that the two countries — which do not have diplomatic re lations — claim. Premier Yair Lapid called the deal an “historic achievement that will strengthen Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border.” The agreement is expected to enable addition al natural gas production in the Mediterranean.

Lebanon hopes gas exploration will help lift its country out of its spiralling economic crisis. Lebanon

SL will remain ‘middle-income’ country, Prez office clarifies

COLOMBO, OCT 11

(PTI): Sri Lanka will re main a ‘middle-income’ country, the President’s me dia division announced on Tuesday, even as it requested the World Bank to grant concessional loans to tide over the unprecedented eco nomic crisis, hours after the cabinet approved a proposal to downgrade the island na tion’s economic status to a ‘low-income’ country.

Sri Lanka had a GDP of USD 3,815 in 2021, which currently places the country in the ‘middle-in come’ category, according to the World Bank.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank is predicting a 8.7 per cent slump in GDP for this year. The country’s inflation set a new record of 69.8 per cent in September, up from 64.3 per cent a month ear lier, as per the data from the state statistics office.

Given the grim eco nomic scenario, the cabi net on Tuesday approved downgrading Sri Lanka to a ‘low-income’ country to secure additional conces sionary funding from global financial lenders like the World Bank.

However, the Presi dent’s media division main tained that status-quo on the country’s economic status

will be maintained, adding that the country was pursu ing a ‘reverse graduation’ policy for a limited period of time.

“Sri Lanka will remain a middle-income country, but we will request the World Bank to grant us eligi bility to obtain International Development Association (IDA) funding,” the Presi dent’s media division said in a statement.

The IDA is an arm of the World Bank that grants low-interest loans to the poorest countries around the world to help reduce poverty.

Earlier, Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Bandula Gunawardena told reporters that Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has granted approval to down grade Sri Lanka to a lowincome country from lowermiddle income country.

“Sri Lanka was a mid dle-income country as per the global classification. Given the middle-income status we cannot access concessionary loans from overseas,” he told reporters.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 which was triggered by a severe paucity of for eign exchange reserves.

According to a senior Israeli official, Lebanon would be allowed to pro duce gas from that field, called “Qana,” but pay roy alties to Israel for any gas produced from the Israeli side. Lebanon has been working with the French en ergy giant Total on prepara tions for exploring the field.

The agreement would also leave in place an exist ing “buoy line” that serves as a de facto border between the two countries, the offi cial said. He spoke on con dition of anonymity because he was discussing behindthe-scenes negotiations.

Many leading security

Gabbard quits Democratic Party

WASHINGTON, OCT 11 (PTI): Former Congress woman and the first Hindu American to run for the White House in 2020, Tulsi Gabbard, on Tuesday an nounced that she is leaving the governing Democratic Party, denouncing it as an “elitist cabal of warmongers.”

Gabbard, 41, who re tired from the House of Representatives last year, made the announcement on Twitter.

She has, however, kept everyone guessing on her next move.

“I can no longer re main in today’s Demo cratic Party – which is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of war-mongers driven by cowardly wokeness,” Gab bard said in a tweet.

Gabbard was the firstever Hindu to be elected to the US House of Rep resentatives in 2013 from Hawaii, and she was sub sequently elected for four consecutive terms.

“The Democrats of to day divide us by racialis ing every issue, stoking anti-white racism, and are actively working to un dermine our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution,” she said in another tweet.

figures, both active and re tired, have hailed the deal because it could lower ten sions with Lebanon’s Hez bollah militant group, which has repeatedly threatened to strike Israeli natural gas assets in the Mediterranean.

With Lebanon now having a stake in the region’s natural gas industry, experts believe the sides will think twice before opening up another war. The two sides fought a month-long war in 2006, and Israel considers the heavily armed Hezbol lah to be its most immediate military threat.

“It might help create and strengthen the mutual deterrence between Israel and Hezbollah,” said Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at Israel’s Institute for Nation al Security Studies. “This is a very positive thing for Israel.”

due to address the leaders of the Group of Seven indus trial powers by videoconfer ence Tuesday.

Germany, which cur rently chairs the G-7, an nounced the meeting after Monday’s missile strikes.

As Ukrainian forces grew increasingly bold fol lowing a series of counterof fensive successes, a cornered Kremlin ratcheted up Cold War-era rhetoric and fanned concerns it might resort to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minis ter Sergey Lavrov addressed the issue Tuesday, saying Moscow would only resort to that if the Russian state faced imminent destruction. Speaking on state TV, he ac cused the West of encourag ing false speculation about the Kremlin’s intentions.

Russia’s nuclear doc trine envisages “exclusively retaliatory measures intend ed to prevent the destruction of the Russian Federation as a result of direct nuclear strikes or the use of other weapons that raise the threat for the very existence of the Russian state,” Lavrov said.

Targeting infra, causing civilian deaths not acceptable in any part of world: EAM

SYDNEY, OCT 11 (PTI):

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that targeting infrastructure and causing civilian deaths is not acceptable in any part of the world and em phasised on the need for both sides in the Ukraine conflict to return to the path of diplomacy and dia logue as “this conflict is not helping anybody at all.”

Jaishankar made the remarks while responding to questions after his ad dress at the Lowy Institute on the growing importance of India’s relationship with Australia and the interests that both countries share as members of the securityfocused Quad.

“We really think that targeting infrastructure and causing civilian deaths is not acceptable in any part of the world,” Jaishankar said while responding to a question on Russia’s mis sile strikes targeting key cities across Ukraine on Monday, including the capital Kyiv which is being

seen as the most intense attack since the conflict started on February 24.

Jaishankar empha sised on the need to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict, saying “this con flict is not helping anybody at all.”

He said this conflict is hurting a large part of the world today because the daily lives of the people are impacted in a very, very damaging manner.

“And these countries with whom we identify ourselves most of these countries and they are ac tually feeling frustrated

because they feel that their problems are being ne glected,” the minister said. His comments came a day after India voted to reject Russia’s demand for a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution to con demn Moscow’s “illegal” annexation of four regions of Ukraine. India favoured a public vote on the text along with over 100 other nations.

On Monday, India’s External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson said the esca lation of hostilities was in no one’s interest and noted that India stood ready to support all such efforts aimed at de-escalation of the situation.

India has not yet con demned the Russian inva sion of Ukraine and main tained that the crisis must be resolved through diplo macy and dialogue. India has abstained on votes on the Ukraine conflict in the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

Iran’scrackdownonstirsintensifiesinKurdishregion

DUBAI, OCT 11 (AP): Iran intensified its crack down Tuesday on Kurdish areas in the country’s west amid protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the mo rality police, activists said.

Riot police fired into at least one neighbourhood in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan province, as Amnesty International and the White House’s national security adviser criticised the violence targeting demon strators angered by the death of Mahsa Amini.

Meanwhile, some oil workers Monday joined the protests at two key refinery complexes, for the first time linking an industry key to Iran’s theocracy to the un rest. Workers claimed an other protest Tuesday in the crucial oil city of Abadan, with others calling for pro tests on Wednesday as well.

Iran’s government in sists Amini was not mis treated, but her family says her body showed bruises and other signs of beating.

Subsequent videos have shown security forces beating and shoving female protesters, including women who have torn off their man datory headscarf, or hijab.

From the capital, Teh ran, and elsewhere, videos

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Through this column, the Noklak District Handloom &

have emerged online despite authorities disrupting the internet. Videos on Monday showed university and high school students demonstrat ing and chanting, with some women and girls marching through the streets without headscarves as the protests continue into a fourth week.

The demonstrations represent one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s theoc racy since the 2009 Green Movement protests.

One video posted on line by a Kurdish group called the Hengaw Organ isation for Human Rights

showed darkened streets with apparent gunfire going off and a bonfire burning in Sanandaj, some 400 kilome ters west of Tehran.

Another showed riot police carrying shotguns moving in formation with a vehicle, apparently firing at homes. A video posted later Tuesday purportedly showed a massive bullet hole inside the home of one Sanandaj resident, a hole that Hengaw alleged came from a heavy .50-caliber machine gun — the type often mounted to armoured vehicles. An other video

purportedly showed security forces randomly firing in the air while arresting someone there on Monday.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran posted another video showing what it described as a phalanx of motorcycleriding security forces mov ing through Sanandaj.

“They reportedly broke the windows of hundreds of cars in the Baharan neigh borhood,” the center said.

Amini was Kurdish and her death has been felt particularly in Iran’s Kurd ish region, where demon strations began Sept. 17 at her funeral there after her death the day before.

Amnesty International criticised Iranian security forces for “using firearms and firing tear gas indis criminately, including into people’s homes.”

It urged the world to pressure Iran to end the crackdown as Tehran con tinues to disrupt internet and mobile phone networks “to hide their crimes.”

(S. KHUMO) Secretary President

OFFICE OF THE UNGMATSüR TELONGJEM

: NAGALAND

FELICITATION

With immense pride and

Ungmatsür

Esther

FELICITATION

With immense pride and honour, the Morakjo Village Council and the Morakjo Students’ Union would like to congratulate Mr. L Phyobenthung Jami for being the first to clear

Exam in MBBS Top 19 from Morkajo

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We honour him

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Benathung Odyuo Wochumo Odyuo Chairman,

President,

Russian warship launches a cruise missile at a target in Ukraine. (AP/PTI)

S Jaishankar

Lebanese PM Najib Makati, receives final draft of the maritime border agreement from his Dy Elias Bou Saab. (Dalati Nohra) and Israel both claim some 860 square kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea. Under the agreement, those waters would be divided along a line straddling a strategic natural gas field.

Demonstrators burn headscarves during a solidarity protest in Qamishli, Syria, organized by Kurdish National Council.

As Bachchan turns 80, audiences throng theatres

It’s almost a meta ex

hot-blooded Amitabh Bachchan in a

like “Deewar” on big screen at a time when

latest film “Goodbye”, which sees him in the role of a grieving patriarch, released just four days ago.

Bachchan, who turned 80 on Tuesday, is an actor for all seasons and ages.

There were barely a few front row seats that were vacant at the 6 pm to 9 pm show of “Deewaar” on Monday at the Subhash Nagar-based PVR Pacific in New Delhi.

The cross-section of the audience that had turned up to see the popu lar crime drama, as part of the Amitabh Bachchan film festival to mark his 80th birthday, even left Munna K Pandey, a selfconfessed Bachchan fan, amazed.

“There were people of my parents’ age who were walking with a stick. Next to me sat, people in their 30s to 40s, like me. There was also a pregnant woman in the audience. Two young men, who had managed to arrive right after complet ing their work shifts, were arguing with the theatre staff to let them sit with their laptops,” Pandey told PTI.

Film Heritage Foun dation in partnership with leading multiplex chain

PVR Cinemas has organ ised the film festival in honour of Bachchan’s 80th birthday, as a part of which 11 movies featuring the megastar are being screened in 18 cities across the country.

The four-day day event, titled ‘Bachchan Back To The Beginning’, opened on October 8 and closes on October 11, the star’s birthday. While the tickets were priced at Rs 150 for the first three days and the day of his birthday at Rs 80, a festival movie pass at Rs 400 was brought out on the occasion to in centivise fans who wanted to enjoy all the movies.

Recalling watching “Deewaar” for the first time in his teens on televi sion and later renting out VCDs, Pandey said he

wanted to feel the magic of Bachchan’s 1975 film in a dark cinema hall along with several others, most of whom weren’t even born when the Yash Chopra directorial had released.

A non-film buff like Bhawna Maithani, who also watched “Deewar” at the same theatre, was equally surprised to see audiences across age, gen der, and class hoot at Bach chan’s entry and one-liners.

“People of my age generally flock cinema halls to watch younger stars like Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan. But they came to watch Bachchan in theatres even in this day and age. I witnessed this madness and fandom in real time. You can’t say what it is but he is special. It was an eye-opening expe

rience for me,” Maithani, a guest lecturer at the depart ment of political science, Satyawati College.

People know all the hit dialogues like ‘Main aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahin uthata’ or ‘Tumhare paas kya hai?’ by heart.

As they watched the film in the hall, they left even Bachchan behind in speak ing those lines, clapping and whistling when their idol recited those same dialogues.

One needs to be in the theatre to understand this phenomenon called ‘Bachchanmania’, added Pandey, who is assistant professor, Hindi depart ment at Delhi University’s Satyawati College.

Referring to Bach chan’s “Deewar” character of the brooding, angsty atheist Vijay, an audience member declared ‘Vijay buddhah nahin ho sakta! (Vijay can’t grow old!’) as the octogenarian star appeared in a commercial during the interval.

“When the film end ed, people stood up to give a standing ovation with a round of applause as if they were watching a live play,” he said.

Box office duds “Boom” and “Mrityudata” that marks his low phase as an ageing star disappointed Pandey as much as the dance performance by the megastar in the election ral

lies of the late Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“All in all, Bachchan is a phoenix. He rises from his own ashes every time,” added Pandey.

The same day, Mum bai-based Amit Dadhich had watched “Amar Akbar Anthony” and “Deewaar” back-to-back at PVR Gore gaon with his parents, also sworn fans of the legend.

As a child, the 34-yearold said he would burst into tears every time he saw Bachchan’s characters die in the climax of “Sholay” and “Deewar”.

“When I saw some of these movies now, it made me emotional again. I would not have missed this opportunity of going to the theatre and watch ing all his old classics. It was magical,” Dadhich told PTI.

Pranav Shukla, a school teacher in south Mumbai, said he watched “Amar Akbar Anthony” with his friends.

“I have seen the movie many times on TV and keep watching it on You Tube. This is the most interesting film for me. It has drama, action, relation ship, etc. I love the fighting scene between Amitabh Bachchan ji and Vinod Khanna ji and the climax scene is also one of my favourite scenes,” Shukla told PTI. (PTI)

‘Karthikeya 2’ hits 100 crore viewing minutes in 48 hours on OTT

D irector Chandoo Mondeti’s mystery action adventure film, ‘Karthikeya 2’, which emerged a blockbuster in theatres, seems to be con tinuing its success streak on OTT as well, witnessing a whopping 100 crore view ing minutes in a matter of just 48 hours!

ZEE5, the video streaming platform which premiered the film on Dussehra, has now an nounced that the film had emerged a huge success.

The platform claimed that the film had garnered a 100 crore viewing minutes across languages and states within 48 hours of stream ing on the platform.

Produced by Ab hishek Agarwal Arts and People Media Factory, ‘Karthikeya - 2’ navigates through protagonist Karthikeya’s pursuit for the truth.

It leads him to find out the power of the ancient Indian belief system and Tatva of Lord Sri Krishna.

ZEE5 India Chief Business Officer Manish Kalra said, “We are over whelmed with the response that ‘Karthikeya 2’ has received in 48 hours on the platform. It’s a great milestone to have crossed.”

Director Chan doo Mondeti added, “’Karthikeya 2’ is really close to my heart. We wanted this film to reach the global audience as it highlights the Hindu

mythology which reflects India’s splendid diversity.

“It was possible only with ZEE5’s reach. The whole team has put in a lot of effort to make it a success and I am glad that it’s paid off not only in theatres but also with its digital premiere. The film has achieved another milestone of crossing 100 crore viewing minutes in 48 hours which is a cherish able moment for all of us.”

Actor Nikhil Siddhar tha said, “I am extremely delighted with the love that the audience has showered on ‘Karthikeya 2’. It is a surreal moment for me.

“When we started this project, we had never imagined it would receive

such an overpouring of love and support. But I am genuinely overwhelmed with the response that the film has received during its theatrical release as well as with its World Digital Premiere on ZEE5.

Happy BirtHday

Justin Bieber says Kanye West

‘crossed the line’ with his Hailey insult

(IANS)

S

inger Justin Bieber thinks rapper Kanye West “crossed a line” with his recent comments about his wife Hailey Bald win.

The 28-year-old pop star is said to be angry with Kanye, 45, after he recently spoke out against the 23-year-old model.

A source said: “Justin is very protective about Hailey. He is upset by Kanye’s attack on her where he said hurtful and untrue things.”

Hailey was targeted by Kanye after she voiced her support for Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-John son, who publicly blasted Kanye’s White Lives Mat ter apparel, reports ace showbiz.com.

Justin is now “distanc ing himself from Kanye” and he’s keen to offer sup port to his wife. The insider told ‘Entertainment To night’: “He feels like he has been a true friend to Kanye, and tried to empathise with him in the past, but this crossed a line that he’s not OK with.”

“Being there for Hai ley and supporting his wife is Justin’s main priority, and he’s doing that and distancing himself from Kanye.”

The ‘Stronger’ hit maker has been widely crit icised for his provocative new fashion line, which the Vogue editor described as “pure violence”. And after Kanye rubbished Gabri ella’s criticism, Hailey took

to social media to offer her some support.

Hailey, who has mod elled for the likes of Guess, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger, wrote on Insta gram: “My respect for you runs deep my friend! To know is to adore you and to work with you is an honor”.

The blonde beautywho married Justin in 2018 - added: “The most kind. the most talented. the most fun. the most chic.” Kanye responded to the post by calling the model “nose job Hailey Baldloose”.

The outspoken star told Justin: “Get your girl before I get mad. You spose to be my friend right.” (IANS)

Amitabh Bachchan receives greetings from fans on his birthday at his residence Jalsa, in Mumbai. (PTI)

MDFA trophy kicks off in Mokokchung

Correspondent

MOKOKCHUNG, 11

OCT (NPN): The Mokok chung District Football As sociation (MDFA) trophy 2022 got underway here on Tuesday at the Imkong meren Sports Complex. The inaugural programme was graced by SP Mokok chung, Aotula T. Imchen as the chief match patron in absentia of DGP Naga land, T. John Longkumer, who could not be present due to unavoidable circum stances.

Altogether, 11 teams are vying for the coveted trophy where the finals of the trophy have been sched uled on October 26. In the opening match on Tuesday, Sports Society Soyim and Revenant FC played out 1-1 draw.

Speaking at the pro gramme, Aotula T. Im

SP Mokokchung, Aotula T. Imchen, along with Deputy Commissioner Mokokchung and players after the inaugural programme in Mokokchung.

chen congratulated the MDFA for organizing the tournament, working tire lessly for the service of the public. According to her, the tournament was much appreciated and applauded by people across the state and beyond and has raised the level of the trophy to another pedestal. Referring to the MDFA trophy, the chief match patron said

Fitness Festival

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): The 5th edition of “Fitness Festival” organised by Performing Arts with Fitness will be held on October 29 at NEZCC. The festival aims to provide countless opportunities for creating a better and healthier life style catering to diverse categories of age, capability and strength.

The event will draw athletes, fitness enthusiasts and spectators from across the state which would motivate, inspire and provide the perfect landscape for individuals of all ages to celebrate strength, health and life.

This year’s edition would fea ture several schools competing for the group exercise workout routine and at the same time it is expecting gyms from all over Nagaland to participate in the various workout or fitness competitions as well.

The lists of competitions are arm wrestling, burpee, pushup and tug of war. The release stated it will open doors for people working with sounds, lights, camera crews for both photographers and videographers,

that it is one of the most prestigious trophies for the district and further encour aged to increase grassroots level participation and strive to reach higher levels.

She goes on to state that football is not just a beautiful game but is also an emotion for many people. “And it should be the desire of all that there is unity through sports”,

at NEZCC

dancers, creative designers, makeup artist, entertainers, sports athletes, martial artist, fitness instructors, etc.

Performing Arts with Fitness develop and manage fitness ser vices for school, colleges, hospitals, communities, corporates, churches and among old age groups across Nagaland.

Its purpose and vision is “Fitter Nagaland”. It aims to create a higher awareness to understand fitness, to facilitate and help to develop posi tivity in the society so as to educate its people at the grass root level that fitness is a way of life.

Its sessions consist of one-hour rigorous bodyweight training which includes a variety of workout forms such as zumba kids for school, zumba fitness, lesmills body combat (MMA workout), strong nation (HIIT workout), body balance, PAWF hardcore, martial arts and dance fitness.

It also works with several schools, institutes and communities in and around Dimapur and Chu mukedima.

she said adding that sport is the medium to develop friendship, relationship and strives to compete hard with the true spirit of sportsmanship in mind. She further encouraged the young players saying that it is a platform to show case one’s talents. She also urged them to work hard and to excel in order to achieve success in life. She

expressed hope that it will encourage many young tal ents and give them avenues to further excel. Earlier in the programme, deputy commissioner and presi dent Mokokchung District Sports Council, Shashank Pratap Singh, delivered the keynote address, while convener of the organiz ing committee, L. Yanger Ltr delivered the welcome address. The MDFA bade farewell to one of the longest officiating refer ees, Lanunukshi Imchen, who officiated numerous games for the last 20 years and honoured with a cita tion. He also officiated the match which was his last.

WEDNESDAY’S MATCHES

Marepkong Youth Association Vs Mongsenbai FC – 1 pm Moanungsang Memorial

Sports Club Vs Youngsters Team

PWDYO Kma holds annual sports meet

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): PWD Youth Organization (PWDYO) Kohima organized its 4th sports meet on October 4 and 5 at Siekhazou, D. Khel ground. The event was graced by Zhoveto (Ato) Puro, PA to advisor Urban Development, and Municipal Af fairs, Dr. Neikiesalie Kire, as the special guest.

Upper PWDYO emerged as the overall champions of the 4th PWD youth organisation sports meet. The three sectors - upper PWDYO, middle PWDYO and lower PWDYO competed in vari ous sports events like football, cricket, women’s penalty shootout,

tug of war and wrestling.

On the first day, the pro gramme began with an invocation by information & publicity sec retary, lower PWD council, Ren chamo (Anongo), welcome address by president, Athozo Sothu, special song by Nobuno Lcho followed by oath-taking of the participants.

On the second day, chairman of PWD panchayat, Dozhohu Tu nyi, was the resource person, who also distributed the prizes. Vote of thanks was proposed by games & sports secretary PWDYO, Za kielatuo Seletsu and benediction by associate pastor New Life Church, Kohima, Robert Naleo.

Open Volleyball C’ship Seiyhama on Nov 4

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): The Seiyhama Baptist Church will be orga nizing the second edition of open volleyball championship on November 4 at Seiyhama village. The winners will walk home with a cash prize of Rs. 30,000; second prize - Rs. 20,000; losing semi-finalist - Rs. 5000 each; best setter - Rs. 2000; best spiker - Rs. 2000.

Forms are available at Agape Veterinary Clinic High School, Bayavü road and N.C. Computer shop No. 20 Angamiapfü Mechü ki (AMK) opposite Congress Bhavan. Last date of submission of form will be No vember 2. For any query, one may contact at 7085982315 or 8974140193.

Chümoukedima inter-school meet begins

DIMAPUR, OCT 11 (NPN): Chümoukedima district annual inter-school tournament organised by Chümoukedima Town Stu dents’ Union (CTSU) got underway on Tuesday at local ground, Chümouke dima. The tournament is a 5-day event and will culmi nate on October 14.

The occasion was graced by advisor Sericul ture, Excise and Minor ity Affairs, Government of Nagaland, Zhaleo Rio as the chief guest. Speaking at the programme, Rio re quested the student leaders to strive for excellence in this fast-changing world. He also encouraged students to

eradicate tribalism and to excel in their studies as well as in their co-curricular ac tivities through hard work. He asked the parents present to encourage their children to identify their interests and invest in it.

Earlier, pastor Kenyi Tep invoked God’s blessings, president CTSU, Kezhawe

lie Richa, delivered welcome address while Petekhrieno Wotsa enthralled the audi ence with a song. The event also witnessed march past from nine different schools.

The opening ceremony ended with the oath tak ing led by joint games and sports secretary CTSU, Vit seilie Zuyie.

Zhaleo Rio with CTSU members and others.

Spinners shine as India clinch ODI series vs SA

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (PTI): India gave a good account of their enormous depth as a young and in experienced side stunned a strong South Africa unit by seven wickets in third ODI here on Tuesday to secure a memorable series win.

The spin trio of Wash ington Sundar (2/15), Shah baz Ahmed (2/32) and Kul deep Yadav (4/18) picked the right lengths on a slow Kotla pitch to bundle out South Africa for 99, the Proteas lowest ODI total against India.

The home team batters, led by Shubman Gill (49), chased a paltry 100-run tar get in 19.1 overs.

The series loss further jeopardised South Africa’s chances of a direct qualifica tion for the ODI World Cup next year. Pacer Moham mad Siraj (2/17) too contin ued his good run to make a strong case for his inclusion in T20 World Cup squad.

While Washington and Shahbaz got wickets up front, left-arm spinner Kul deep, who missed out on a hat-trick, cleaned up the tail.

The quality of the In dian white-ball squad was on full display in the series

as the second-string team came from behind to clinch the three-match series 2-1.

Chasing a small total, opener Gill attacked the South African bowlers from the very first ball while skip per Shikha Dhawan played second fiddle.

Th e Indians, who looked in a hurry to finish the match, lost a bit of mo mentum after the wickets of Dhawan, whose woeful run in the series continued as he was run out for eight, and Ishan Kishan (10).

However, Shreyas Iyer (28 not out) continued his

stellar run as he whacked three boundaries and two sixes including a matchwinning maximum to steer India to victory after Gill was trapped leg before with three runs needed.

Earlier put in to bat, South African batters failed to impress, falling like nine pins. Quinton de Kock (6) was the first to perish as he half-heartedly cut the ball to top-edge it to Avesh Khan at backward point, giving Washington his first wicket.

India then seeming ly got their second wicket when Reeza Hendricks (3)

NSFTrophy:FifaFC,InfiniteFCwin

was trapped leg before but the South African took the review to turn the umpire’s decision in the seventh over.

Janneman Malan (15) smacked Siraj for three of boundaries in his consecu tive overs before the pacer got rid of the opener as he tried to play the pull shot.

South African batters continued to struggle and looked off colour as Siraj claimed his second when he got Hendricks (3) next.

Aiden Makram (9), whose stay in the middle lasted 19 balls, became Shahbaz Ahmed’s first vic

tim as he nicked it through to the keeper Sanju Samson.

The visitors dallied to 50 in 17.1 overs but India were all over the visitors.

Skipper David Miller (7) and joined Heinrich Klaasen in the middle but he too couldn’t make a mark as he was bowled, the ball slid in from round the wicket to clip the outside of off stump.

Brought into the attack in the 20th over, Kuldeep too joined the party as An dile Phehlukwayo failed to read his googly.

Klaasen and new-man Marco Jansen stitched a 22-run stand that included a four and a six to take South Africa closer to the 100-run mark. First, Jansen charged down the pitch for a six over long on, a few balls later Klassen hit a bound ary but he was dismissed by Shahbaz.

Brief scores: South Africa 99 all out in 27.1 overs (Heinrich Klassen 34, Janneman Malan 15; Kuldeep Yadav 4-18, Wash ington Sundar 2-15) lost to India 105/3 in 19.1 overs (Shubman Gill 49, Shreyas Iyer 28 not out, Bjorn For tuin 1-20, Lungi Ngidi 1-21) by seven wickets

Nagaland beat Manipur 3-1; to meet Chandigarh in Subroto Cup final

Correspondent

KOHIMA, OCT 11 (NPN):

Fifa FC Kohima and Infinite FC have won their respec tive matches on Tuesday at the ongoing 22nd NSF Martyr’s Trophy played here at IG Stadium, Kohima.

In the first match, Fifa FC Kohima defeated Zhokhami FC with a score 3-2 and made its way to the next round. Fifa’s jersey no 8, Ronald Saikhom, scored the first goal for the team in the 12th minute through a freekick.

His teammate, jersey no 17, Benjohnson Meitei, scored the remaining two goals in the 36th and 63rd minutes of the game and held the team maintain its lead.

Zhokhami FC re mained goalless in the first half however, its player Kulse Zhotso found the back of the net in the 43rd minute while his teammate Kevizayie Khieya added the second goal however, they were one goal too short to secure a tie breaker.

Man of the match

was bagged by Benjohnson Meitei. In the second match of the day, Infinite FC beat Kohima Bible College with a score 1-0. The lone goal which served its purpose was scored by Infinite’s jersey no 13, Keneikhrietuo Miario in the 35th minute which helped the team se cure a place in the next round. He was also reward ed the man of the match.

TODAY’S MATCHES Brothers FC Vs S.W.A.T. FC -11:30 am Kohima Dynamos FC Vs Ura Uvie FC-1:30 pm

Roger Binny files nomination for post of BCCI prez, Shah likely to remain secy

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI,

OCT 11 (PTI): Roger Bin ny, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, on Tuesday filed his nomi nation for the post of BCCI President and is likely to get the top job unopposed, Board vice-president Rajeev Shukla said.

Binny, 67, is so far the only candidate to have filed nomination for the post and if no other candidate emerges, he will replace Sourav Ganguly as BCCI chief when the Board holds its AGM on October 18 in Mumbai. After hectic parleys and back-channel discussions over the past week, it was decided that Binny was the best pick as the 36th Board president, one of the sources familiar with the development, said.

Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has also filed nomination and will continue as BCCI Secretary for a second con secutive term if no other candidate throws his hat in the ring. Shah is also ex pected to replace Ganguly as India’s representative at the all powerful ICC Board.

“Roger Binny has filed nomination for president’s post, myself for the vicepresident’s post, Jay Shah for secretary, Ashish Shelar for treasurer and Devajit Saikia has filed nomination

for joint secretary’s post,” Shukla told reporters.

“Arun Dhumal will head the IPL governing council and Abhishek Dalmiya will be part of that council. Khairul Jamal (Mamun) Majumdar will be part of the Apex council. As of now these are the nominations and all remain unopposed,” Shukla added.

Wednesday is the last day for filing nominations. Candidates can withdraw their nominations by Oc tober 14. The final list of candidates for various posi tions will be published on October 15. Binny, though, is a surprise choice to head the BCCI. However, there has been indication that his name will emerge when the Karnataka State Cricket As sociation (KSCA) named him as its representative at BCCI AGM instead of secretary Santosh Menon. Binny is KSCA President and will have to relinquish his position in the state body.

The medium pacer was

one of the architects of India’s historic World Cup triumph in 1983. In eight games, he took 18 wickets, the highest in that edition of the prestigious tournament.

Binny has served as member of senior selec tion committee in the past when Sandeep Patil was the chairman. Sports minister Anurag Thakur’s younger brother Arun Singh Dhum al, who is currently the trea surer, will now become IPL chairman. He will replace Brijesh Patel. Influential Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar will be the new treasurer which means that he won’t become Mum bai Cricket Association (MCA) president.

Ganguly, who reached Mumbai on Monday eve ning, had a lot of meet ings with the stakeholders in New Delhi last week.

“Sourav was offered IPL chairmanship but he politely declined the offer. His logic was that he cannot accept becoming head of a subcommittee in BCCI after heading the same institu tion. He had expressed inter est in continuing in the posi tion,” the BCCI source said.

With Ganguly moving out of the picture, the East rep resentation was always go ing to be Assam CM Biswa Sarma’s call as he played a key role even last time.

NEW DELHI, OCT 11 (AGENCIES): Two hattricks in the two semifi nals of the 61st Subroto Cup International Football tournament for Boys Un der-17, powered schools from Chandigarh and Na galand into the finals, set to be played at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Sta dium, on October 13.

Lemmet got the first of the day’s hat-tricks for Govt Model Senior Sec. School (GMSSS), Chan digarh, while Setungchim of Pilgrim Hr. Sec. School (PHSS), Dimapur, Naga land, got the other, as their

respective teams overcame their semi-final opponents to qualify for the finals.

Nagaland has entered final after a gap of 42 years in the junior category. The last time Nagaland entered final was in 1980 where they were declared joint winners with Manipur since the final was not held due to unavoid able circumstances.

In the first game, GMSSS, Chandigarh, over whelmed 10+2 Zila School, Chaibasa, Jharkhand, 5-1.

The Chandigarh number 11 Lemmet got four of those goals in the 15th, 24th, 60th and 69th minutes of the

game. Arjun got the fifth in the 44th Dogar Purty got one back for Jharkhand in the 32nd minute.

The second semi-fi nal was a tighter contest between PHSS and CT Hr. Sec. School, Mayang, Imphal, Manipur however PHSS were always more comfortable in the game. Their number seven Se tungchim did the star turn striking in the seventh, 52nd and 58th minutes of the match. David did pull one back for the Manipur side in the 68th minute, but Na galand were home and dry by then.

FIFA U-17 Women’s WC: India suffer 0-8 defeat against USA in opener

BHUBANESWAR, OCT 11 (IANS): The Indian women’s football team suf fered a crushing 0-8 defeat against the United States in its first Group A match of the FIFA U-17 Wom en’s World Cup 2022 at the Kalinga Stadium, here on Tuesday. The hammering put India at the bottom of Group A while the USA sit pretty at the top of the points table. On the other hand, Brazil eked out a narrow 1-0 win over Morocco in the other Group A match and are in second place.

Melina Rebimbas (9’, 31’) scored a brace while Charlotte Kohler (14’), On yeka Gamero (24’), Gisele Thompson (38’), Ella Emri (52’), Taylor Suarez (58’ P) and Mia Bhuta (60’) got on the scoresheet against India, who were playing their firstever match at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

It was also the USA’s biggest win at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

India absorbed the pressure in the first few minutes and made their

own counter-attacking foray through midfielder Nitu Linda and forward Neha in the third minute. However, it remained India’s only high point in the first 15 minutes as speedy American full-backs created multiple chances for the USA.

In the ninth minute,

USA’s Melina Rebimbas, unmarked, hit a perfect vol ley from the centre of the box after latching onto a pre cise cross from Riley Jack son from the right. Jackson provided her second assist from the corner five minutes later with another sublime cross. Charlotte Kohler rose

above the Indian defenders and netted the header from close range.

In the 16th minute, In dia earned their only corner of the first half but Neha’s delivery inside the box failed to get an Indian touch and the ball eventually went out for a throw-in. The USA,

who came into the match having scored 58 goals and conceded only once during their CONCACAF quali fiers, played some free-flow ing football and scored three more goals in the remainder of the first half.

A defensive lapse in the 24th minute by Indian goal keeper Anjali Munda and defender Purnima Kumari saw Onyeka Gamero capi talise to score USA’s third goal. The misery continued for India with a failed clear ance in the 31st minute from Indian defenders falling to Rebimbas, who placed it neatly in the top corner.

Gisele Thompson made it 5-0 after beating the Indian goalkeeper with a left-footed shot in the 38th minute. At the end of the first half, the USA domi nated 73 percent of posses sion and had seven shots on goal compared to none from India.

India will next face Morocco in their second group match on Friday, followed by a clash against Brazil on October 17.

NFA selection committee inform players

Correspondent

KOHIMA, OCT 11 (NPN): Nagaland Foot ball Association (NFA) selection committee has informed the following players to report to IG Stadium, Kohima, on Oc

tober 18, 7 am for the final selection for the upcoming 2nd North East Olympic Games, U-21 (men), to be held in Shillong.

Goal Keepers: Apong, Tsungti Likhum, Harlom, Imtisingit, Es hong Konyak.

Defenders: Moalung, Kevichütuo, Zatse Kapfo, Suraibo, Mhasilhukho, Vikethozo, Zarenthung Ngully, Thanglenmang Kipgen, Hantilo, Noune zelhou Rutsa, Kangzang Ngausibe, Viphrelie, Vishü Lcho, Surombemo,

Welese Kapfo, Khrielabe ituo, Lamsangin, Hehen, Piloka, Ito, Haokhohen, Bapen.

Midfielders: Thung bou, Neikedozo, Seyielezo Pfüsenuo, Mechütso, Ruovizhalie, Vizayie, Hit ilo, Shovito, Jonathang,

Hantilo, Kekhrievor, Ngam nyei, Ruku, Kenei Viluo, Thanglengang, Mughahoto, Yongsen, Yhoto Lohe.

Forward/Strikers: Mhalezotuo, Tepuvil, Mangkholeng, Thejaseto, Khulonso, Ngulngoulal, Keneingulie.

Indian players with the trophy after winning the 3rd and final ODI cricket match of the series against South Africa, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)

Players of Infinite FC (Orange) playing against Kohima Bible College. Also seen in the picture is referee Kezevituo in blue shirt. (NP)

Players in action during the U-17 Subroto Cup semifinal match on Tuesday.

Roger Binny

Indian (blue) and USA players in action during their match at FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 at Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar, Oct. 11, Tuesday. (PTI)